Dismantle health barriers against PWDs – GHS to stakeholders
The acting Deputy Director-General (D-G) of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Caroline Reindorf Amissah, has said there is a need for stakeholders, including the government, partners and civil society, to work together to dismantle barriers to health care for persons with disabilities (PWDs) to improve healthcare delivery to such persons.
Dr Amissah underscored the need for more funds to support disability inclusion and improving access to assistive devices, urging stakeholders to include budget lines for disability inclusion in their plans.
The acting Deputy D-G of the GHS was speaking at a commemoration of the International Day for Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) organised by the GHS last Wednesday.
It was on the theme: “Building inclusive health service for social progress”.
Dr Amissah emphasised that disability inclusion was not a charity, but a matter of justice and human rights.
She indicated that anyone could become disabled at any point in their lives and that health is a right for all.
“Disability inclusion for me is not a charity at all.
We are not having mercy on anybody.
We could all be disabled at any point in our lives.
So, I want to say that it is the justice that we confer in our society.
If we are a just society, then we should cater for such persons who find themselves as part of our society,” she said.
She called for a change in attitudes towards PWDs at all levels of the health sector, adding that opportunity must be given to PWDs through the improvement of accessibility, investing in disability, procuring assistive devices and amplifying the voices of PWDs.
She reaffirmed the GHS’s commitment to ensuring that all Ghanaians, including those with disabilities, would be able to access healthcare services without discrimination. She called on all stakeholders to work together to build a more inclusive, equitable and healthier Ghana.
For her part, the acting Director of the Health Promotion Division of the GHS, Mabel Kissiwah Asafo, said the GHS was strengthening its efforts to ensure disability inclusion in health care.
Mrs Asafo mentioned that the GHS had developed e-learning models on disability inclusion, available on the Ghana Health Service Platform, and the finalisation of the National Policy Guideline on Disability.
“We have developed e-learning models of disability inclusion available on the Ghanaian Service Platform, developed finalised schemes of drafting the National Policy Guideline, Disability Guideline, which will also practically provide some standards for improving service delivery across all health facilities,” she said.
These efforts, she said, aimed to improve service delivery and ensure equal access to quality healthcare for persons with disabilities.
She added that the GHS was working with partners, including the World Health Organisation (WHO), UNICEF and the Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations, to advance awareness, accessibility and inclusion in the health sector, expressing gratitude to partners for their support and commitment of partners and stakeholders.
Mrs Asafo also called for a collective action to create a health system that is equitable, accessible and responsive to the needs of all Ghanaians.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) also commended the GHS for its leadership in developing the Disability Inclusion Health Guidelines, praising the efforts to ensure that healthcare services respond effectively to the needs of persons with disabilities.