A vocational training centre for the rehabilitation of patients with spine injuries was inaugurated today at the Ganga Spine Injury Rehabilitation Centre here.

A unit of Ganga Hospital, the centre is the third one in the country and has rehabilitated over 300 patients from India and neighbouring countries in the last 18 months, its director, Dr S Rajasekaran said at the inaugural function. “It has spent more than Rs.1 crore to rehabilitate 160 poor patients free of cost so far,” he added.

“A vocational training centre has been established now at a cost of Rs.30 lakhs, for the rehabilitated patients to earn their living, with experts providing training in the field of printing, computer designing and tailoring,” he said.

After spinal injury rehabilitation, the paraplegic patients would be able to move around in wheel chairs and perform different work. They would be trained to work in printing press depending on their interest. “They can also opt for training in computer programming for the needs of printing press,” Rajasekaran said.