Hyderabad’s First Disabled Walkathon Pushes for Early Rehab, Robotics in Recovery
Hyderabad Steps Towards Inclusion City’s first rehabilitation-focused Disabled Walkathon reinforces that disability need not be permanent
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2025-12-03 16:22 GMT
Hyderabad: HCAH SuVitas today concluded DISHA Walkathon 2025, Hyderabad’s first rehabilitation-focused Disabled Walkathon, organised on World Disability Day at Sanjeevaiah Park. The initiative delivered a clear message to families, clinicians and policymakers across India that permanent disability is often preventable, and structured rehabilitation can restore mobility and independence when begun early and continued consistently.
The walkathon brought together 50 differently-abled participants and 50 volunteers and rehabilitation staff, demonstrating real mobility and recovery outcomes outside clinical settings. The event was designed to shift public perception from disability as a static condition to disability as a recoverable stage, highlighting how continuity of therapy, clinical protocols and assistive technology drive functional improvement.
Following the walk, specialists from the Centre for Advanced Robotics & Recovery showcased robotic mobility systems including the Gaiter, demonstrating their role in gait training, balance re-education and functional mobility. The demonstration reinforced that assistive robotics is already clinically operational and directly supports faster, safer and more predictable rehabilitation outcomes.
Dr. Gaurav Thukral, President & Co-Founder, HCAH “Across India, disability is often assumed to be a permanent conclusion, but a large share of long-term functional loss is actually avoidable. When rehabilitation starts on time, follows a structured protocol and is supported with robotics, patients regain balance, rebuild gait and recover mobility far more quickly. At HCAH, we see these outcomes daily. DISHA Walkathon was created to make this recovery visible outside the hospital environment. Our message is clear faster recovery is achievable, permanent disability is often preventable, and rehabilitation is the scientific pathway that makes it possible.”
Ankit Goel, President & Co-Founder, HCAH “India needs a shift in how disability is understood. Disability should not be treated as a final state but as a phase where recovery can be actively engineered through structured rehabilitation, therapist-led protocols and robotics-enabled training. The walkathon brought this truth into the public eye using real people, real technology and real progress. When recovery becomes visible, belief and adoption follow. India must now make rehabilitation a mainstream healthcare priority so that avoidable disability is truly avoided.”
Dr. Vijay Janagama, Head – Concept & Clinical Excellence, HCAH SuVitas “Permanent disability is often the result of delayed or incomplete rehabilitation. Recovery depends on timely intervention, therapy continuity and access to advanced clinical tools. Today’s demonstration reinforced that rehabilitation is essential, not optional, for protecting mobility and long-term function. With robotics-supported therapy, recovery becomes measurable, repeatable and significantly faster.”
With DISHA Walkathon 2025, HCAH SuVitas strengthens India’s shift towards recovery-centric healthcare, encouraging investment in structured rehabilitation programmes, clinical robotics, and long-term recovery pathways. The organisation aims to support a nationwide understanding of rehabilitation as a scientific, outcome-driven discipline capable of preventing avoidable permanent disability.
HCAH SuVitas acknowledges the contribution of all participants, volunteers, clinicians, technology teams and authorities who enabled the successful execution of the event. Rehabilitation-focused awareness activities are planned across major Indian cities to reinforce the national movement towards functional recovery and independence.