MEXICO CITY, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Only 2 percent of some 85 million disabled
people in Latin America have received medical help appropriate to their needs,
said a report published on Friday.
The report, issued by the Pan-American Health Organization (OPS), said that
the key causes for disability in Latin America are armed conflicts, accidents,
drug abuse and societal violence.
Disability is also caused by ageing, malnutrition, childhood neglect, marginalization
of groups like indigenous people, extreme poverty and natural
disasters, it added.
The report's authors, Alicia Amate and Armando Vasquez, said many disabling
conditions would have been avoided if patients had received appropriate and
timely treatment.
Doctors in the region also lack proper training in caring for people
suffering disabilities. Enditem