What kinds of disabilities afflict people in Tibet?
A. Tibetans have most of the conditions and diseases that affect people in other countries, for example cerebral palsy and arthritis. However there are some differences, too. Because of inadequate health care, accidental injuries that would be treatable in the West can lead to permanent disability in Tibet. The hard physical work of farming and herding likely exacerbates joint pain in old age and accounts for the large number of elderly who are severely disabled by arthritis. We have also seen a few individuals who suffered from Polio as children, people who were severely injured in deliberate beatings at the hands of others, and even one war veteran who was injured in a battle in Viet Nam.
