Limpopo paraplegic athlete battles public transport to reach healthcare and rehab

Health-e News Limpopo paraplegic athlete battles public transport to reach healthcare and rehab For 34-year-old paraplegic athlete Moloko Pula, getting to hospital for medical care means travelling from her rural village to Polokwane and relying on public transport that does not always accommodate her wheelchair.

Pula, who lives in Ga-Semenya village in the Moletjie area northwest of Polokwane, says that after becoming wheelchair-bound, she had to travel more than 300 kilometres from her village to Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria for treatment.

A return trip cost her R1 100 and took several hours.

“Now that I’m wheelchair-bound, I have to rely on other people for mobility,” Pula says.

“The most stressful part is when you have to access healthcare facilities far away from home using public transport.” Pula says taxi drivers are reluctant to accommodate people who depend on a wheelchair.

“One day when I was on my way to my medical checkup in Polokwane, a taxi driver refused me to board, saying his car had no space for my wheelchair.” Life changed after giving birth Pula has been using a wheelchair since giving birth to her son, Keabetswe, at Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria in March 2020.

She says she underwent an emergency Caesarean section after doctors became concerned about her baby.

“I was pregnant when I was rushed to the hospital with severe labour pains before I could deliver my son, Keabetswe.

After realising that my baby was in danger, the doctor rushed for emergency C-section,” she says.

Pula believes an epidural administered during the delivery caused the spinal injury which left her unable to walk.

Health-e News has not been able to independently confirm the cause of her disability through her medical records.

“Even after delivering the baby, I still felt numb from my waist down and never felt any contractions.

Since then, I couldn’t walk on my own again,” she says.

Travelling costs to access disability healthcare Pula previously received rehabilitation services at Tshwane Rehabilitation Hospital, including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, psychology, dietetic services and care from neurologists.