BANGALORE: Around 70 children affected with cerebral palsy had to wait for more than an hour on Sunday for the governor to flag off an awareness march.
Sunday was celebrated as the first National Cerebral Palsy Day. Several citybased NGOs had organised a walkathon on the occasion to increase awareness about the condition. Governor Hans Raj Bhardwaj had to flag off the walkathon. However, as he was caught up in a meeting with members of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, he turned up an hour late and flagged off the walkathon.
Dr S Mahadevaiah, paediatric neurologist, Spastic Society of Karnataka, said due to lack of awareness, the cases of cerebral palsy were not decreasing even though improved healthcare facilities were available.
Indian Academy of Cerebral Palsy, in association with Spastics Society of Karnataka, NIMHANS, Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health and a few citybased NGOs had organised the walkathon. Around 70 children, parents, staff and volunteers walked from Raj Bhavan Road through Minsk Square and proceeded towards Rotary International Building on Lavelle Road. Here, parents had a discussion with experts on cerebral palsy.