PARALYSIS patient Mick Lihou has lost his independence and suffered because Guernsey does not have a wheelchair service.

The 56-year-old former polio sufferer (pictured), who was paralysed from the waist down following an operation on his spine, has been forced to spend months in an unsuitable, borrowed wheelchair while waiting for a replacement.

‘A dedicated wheelchair service could make life far easier for people like me and save everyone trouble and money,’ he said.

The system proved so complicated and inefficient that even though a replacement did arrive, months later, it was also unsuitable.

When his original wheelchair broke in September, Mr Lihou had a special assessment from a visiting UK organisation representative in order to assign him a new one.

‘After months of waiting and calling to try to get one sorted, and feeling a bit helpless, one finally arrived, but look at it,’ he said. The wheelchair he received came without the seat that was ordered specifically to suit his needs, rendering it useless for him.

Mr Lihou said his case highlighted multiple reasons why the island needed a wheelchair service.