MVA rehab restores meaning to lives

Since the introduction of the Motor Vehicle Assistance (MVA) Fund return-to-work (RTW) programme in 2014, 168 out of 200 road crash victims have returned to work after completing the said programme. The MVA Fund introduced this programme in order to utilise evidence-based practices that help employees injured in motor vehicle accidents to go through a client-centred rehabilitation process which after completion, will plough them back into the labour market or reinstate them with their previous employers. MVA Fund Chief Operations Officer Phillip Nghifitikeko said since the MVA provides assistance and benefits to persons injured in vehicle accidents, it realised that a programme like RTW is more beneficial than the cash pay-outs which sometimes are not used for the intended purposes or by the intended beneficiary. “In an effort to enhance the services we provide to our customers, our 2014-2019 Strategic Plan which stipulates a shift in premeditated focus towards rehabilitation and returning persons injured in a road crash, returning them back to school and work, and more importantly, back to functional independence in their pre-injury activities,” he said. Nghifitikeko said returning injured employees to work demands significant resources and coordination among stakeholders involved, as well as clear legislation. He further said the MVA is currently implementing rehabilitation plans for employees who have not yet returned to work. Nghifitikeko said the stakeholders involved in the RTW programme include the injured employees, their family, medical practitioners, rehabilitation professionals, employers, and MVA case managers who coordinate the whole RTW programme. He said one of the challenges faced is that some employees are sometimes reluctant to return to work early because they feel they cannot make a meaningful contribution. How it works When an employee is injured in an accident, he or she receives medical and rehabilitation treatment. Afterwards the employee, employer and doctor are involved with the development of the employee’s RTW programme. The rehabilitation plan is developed by the case manager and Rehabilitation Quality Specialist and signed off by the employee. The employee returns to work with modified work hours, tasks or a transitional job without waiting to completely recover from the injury. The case managers closely monitor progress before the doctor or occupational therapist issues a report with recommendations stating whether the employee should return to normal duties or not. The last stage of the process involves employees signing rehabilitation outcome report that indicates that the rehabilitation goal was attained. Success story Forty-eight-year-old Laurent Modise is a road crash victim who has undergone the MVA RTW programme. He says the programme was useful and helpful and allowed him to return to the labour market after being involved on a road accident in 2009. Modise had been employed by the Namibia Correctional Services for the past 26 years as an office administrator. He said family and friends supported and helped him to overcome most of the challenges he encountered after the accident which left him wheelchair-bound and unable to use his legs. Modise said he is not discriminated against at his workplace and the RTW programme made him realise that he is still able to make a meaningful contribution towards the development of the country. “My brain and my arms are fully functional therefore I can still operate on a computer, make orders and answer the phone because I can do it, it’s only my legs that are not functioning,” he said. Modise said he therefore calls upon disabled persons who have not gone through the MVA RTW programme to do so. The Social Security Commission (SSC) of Namibia is also busy finalising a report that will determine when its RTW programme will be implemented. The MVA will work closely with all stakeholders including SSC in ensuring accident victims who are still able to make a positive contribution to their employers return to work after recuperating. KENYA KAMBOWE