Rehabilitation underway for Crans-Montana fire victims
Switzerland's rehabilitation clinics continue to ensure that patients affected by the tragedy in Crans-Montana can regain “as independent a life as possible”, doctors said.
At a round-table discussion held on Wednesday in Sion, specialists and representatives from the Suva accident insurance firm discussed the work carried out over the past eight months at their rehabilitation centres. Of the 42 patients admitted since January 1, ten are still receiving treatment in Sion, canton Valais and in Bellikon, canton Aargau.
One after the other, the doctors emphasised the importance of an interdisciplinary approach and solidarity in the care pathway of patients with severe burns.
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“The care pathway must be continuous,” Gianni Roberto Rossi, CEO of the clinics in Sion and Bellikon, told reporters. “Rehabilitation does not begin on the day of admission to the clinic. It must be taken into account from the very start.”
The clinics had to reorganise to cope with the extraordinary influx of patients, as they typically treat between 20 and 30 patients each year on average.
The New Year’s fire at Le Constellation bar in the Valais ski resort claimed 41 lives and left 115 injured.
Still a long road ahead
“We have been able to offer a rehabilitation place to everyone resident in Switzerland whose condition required such care,” said Rossi. “And we are proud of this, while recognising that for many of those affected, the rehabilitation journey is still far from over.”
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“In the long term, the aim is to enable those affected to regain as independent a life as possible, to reclaim their place within their families and society and, wherever possible, to resume their education or work,” he added.
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