Children’s Rehabilitation Centre (CRC)

The rehabilitation centre for children is part of the KSC Health department. It provides disabled children with trained physiotherapists and paediatricians, as well as psychological and social support and any necessary equipment. The centre was opened in Sulaimaniya in Iraqi Kurdistan in 1993.

In collaboration with the Ministry of Health, KSC provides the centre with all necessary equipment, staff and finance. More than 15,000 children are registered at the CRC and every week 350 children attend the centre.  Many of them come from villages outside of the city and in those cases KSC pays for transport to and from the centre by bus or taxi. So far hundreds of children have recovered or have significantly improved their condition. The rehabilitation centre is unique in the area as it not only specialises in children’s rehabilitation but also provides a follow-up program until treatment is complete. The children receive care from professional physiotherapists and paediatricians, suitable equipment and regular training is provided. Psychologists and social workers are also available for children who need them for a successful recovery. Those who require special surgical intervention, for example, orthopaedic, neuro or plastic surgery, are given complete support by KSC from start to finish. Some children have been sent to Baghdad and Iran for more advanced operations.    The physiotherapy team also make home-visits, especially to those living a long way from the centre. In some of the smaller towns near Sulaimaniya, there are local CRC clinics; they have limited facilities, but play an important part as they are easily accessible for families.   So far all the equipment for the disabled children is designed and made in the workshops at the CRC in Sulaimaniya. They provide the children with wheel chairs, crutches, eating and study aids and prostheses. The centre is currently planning to build new facilities, with more space and specially adapted for disabled children