GSPD Decries State Of NHIS

The National President of the Ghana Society for the Physically Disabled (GSPD), Joseph Adu-Boampong, has decried the exclusion of some particular healthcare needs of People Living with Disabilities under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

He described the situation as unfortunate, and expressed shock that even though the 2007 Ghana National Health Policy document acknowledges the growing trend in the numbers of persons with disabilities who are about two million in Ghana, the NHIS does not cater for their health care needs.

He therefore called on government to, as a matter of urgency, ensure the full implementation of the Disability Act, 2006 Act 715 by putting into place the Legislative Instrument for the Act.

The Act among other things makes provision that any place to which the public has access should provide appropriate facilities that would make the place accessible to and available for use by persons with disabilities.

Mr. Adu-Boampong was speaking at the society’s 30th anniversary celebration in Kumasi. The celebration was under the theme “Breaking the barriers – 30 years of Achievement”.

The celebration which lasted four days brought members of the society from all parts of the country to the Ashanti regional capital. Apart from treating themselves to various sports activities and indoor games, the members also witnessed this year’s extraordinary congress of the society.

The GSPD National President observed that People With Disabilities (PWDs) have peculiar health needs, but added that services ranging from physiotherapy services for the physically disabled, corrective surgery for children with disabilities as well as adaptation and care support services for children born with disabilities are either scarce or non-existence in Ghana.

He therefore passionately appealed to the NHIA and the government to consider fashioning out policies that would make the registration of PWDs under the NHIS free.

He said local and international interventions such as the ‘1975 UN declaration on the rights of persons with disabilities’, ‘1983 World program of action concerning disabled persons’ and the ‘1993 Standard rules on the equalization of opportunities for persons with disabilities’ were all geared towards ensuring better living for the disabled in societies.

But, Mr. Adu-Boampong noted, despite these worthy ventures, many disabled persons still face the same old social canker of rejection, dehumanization, and discrimination in the area of education, employment as well as even accessing health care.

He continued that another area of great concern to the society which still remained their biggest challenge is unemployment.

A 2007 Ghana Human Development report, he noted indicated that unemployment rate of PWDs was pegged at 69 percent while that of the general population stood at 80.2 percent.

These suggest that unemployment rate for PWDs is 31 percent while that of non-disabled person is 19.8 percent. According to him, the reports further note that in situations where PWDs are employed, questions arise as to the quality and level of employment and constraints and frustrations faced in employment.

The report added “the high unemployment among PWDs cannot be totally attributed to their limited employable skills. There are other significant factors which limit their participation in labour force.”