The Social Protection Commission (Spanish acronym: JPS) recently announced the donation of six wheelchairs to low-income residents of Guanacaste who live with disabilities. The new wheelchairs were presented to their owners during modest ceremonies at Chupis and Importaciones Melodia, two major providers of medical equipment in Costa Rica. The wheelchairs were specially designed to adjust to the needs of their patients.

According to Fabricio Obando of online news site Primero en Noticias, the medical evaluation of the wheelchairs was conducted by the physical therapy department of the Enrique Baltodano Briceno Hospital in Guanacaste. These wheelchairs are not simply for patient transport; they have been manufactured according to the measurements of the patients, the amount of time they expect to use the equipment, their lifestyles, and their mobility requirements.

The JPS is one of the most visible governmental agencies dedicated to social outreach and welfare in Costa Rica. Nearly one hundred percent of the JPS funding comes from the proceeds of lottery sales and other games of chance. Two percent of the JPS funds are destined to benefit the elderly and the disabled. The estimated cost of the wheelchairs recently donated in Guanacaste is between two and three million colones ($4,000 to $6,000).

Among the factors considered in the design of these wheelchairs was compliance with Public Law 7600, which guarantees access by the disabled to public transportation. The physical therapy department of the Enrique Baltodano Briceno Hospital inspected the different buses that the six patients usually board and took the necessary measurements for the wheelchair manufacturers.

Guanacaste is one of most problematic regions in Costa Rica with regard to accessibility for the disabled. Although most of the new infrastructure is compliant with the special needs of the disabled, remote areas are still a major challenge for the JPS.