Nepal Physician Incorporates Adaptive Sports Into Rehabilitation

Dr. Raju Dhakal was born in Gorkha, Nepal, the first boy in his family after three consecutive sisters. Raju contracted polio at the age of two and a half, leading to paralysis of both lower limbs. At the age of seven, he was taken to SOS Children’s Village for treatment and study, where he completed both public school and medical school. While there, he learned to play music, as well as different competitive sports, which helped shape him into the person he is today. Raju Earned his Doctorate of Medicine in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and training in Spinal Cord Medicine and Rehabilitation. Throughout his education, he participated actively in parasports. Raju remains involved in many para-sports activities at his rehabilitation center, e.g., wheelchair basketball, wheelchair cricket, and para-swimming. He is the President of the National Physical Disabled Table Tennis Association Nepal voluntarily, organizing many sports activities in Nepal in collaboration with Nepal Paralympic Committee.

Raju’s goal is to be a professional in the field of adaptive sports. He currently serves as Medical Director and Consultant Physician (Physiatrist) at Spinal Injury Rehabilitation Centre (SIRC), Nepal. He has been involved actively as an expert in disability-related policies, guidelines, and action plans for implementation with the Government of Nepal and has developed trainee/trainers and reference training manuals for

post-acute care and rehabilitation of patients with spinal cord injury as a lead trainer of the National Health Training Centre, Nepal, and conducted much training for health care workers throughout Nepal.

He currently lives with his wife, a five-year-old daughter, and a 10-month-old son. His wife is a master’s in public health and works in Handicap International in Physical Rehabilitation Activities Project.