40 volunteers in reproductive health services receive motorbikes

Forty Community Health Volunteers in three districts of the Northern and Savannah regions have received motorbikes from researchers at the School of Public Health, University of Ghana, to undertake one-on-one regular home visits to provide sexual and reproductive health services and information to women with disabilities.

Some men with disability have also received support to access disability unfriendly healthcare infrastructure by creating access ramps at some health facilities in the affected districts.

It is estimated that 15 percent of the world’s population live with disability and, in Ghana, about 3 percent of the population has disability.

However, there are currently no workable specific interventions to reach women with disabilities with essential sexual and reproductive health services.

It is in this regard that a research team led by Dr. John Ganle of the School of Public Health, University of Ghana, is implementing three separate interventions to empower women with disabilities aged 15 to 49 in Northern, Savannah and North East regions of Ghana.

Dr. John Ganle, handing over the motorbikes to the volunteers, appealed to MMDAs to ensure their facilities are accessible to PWDs.

“A lot of women with disabilities face several barriers in accessing reproductive health services and these motorbikes will support to provide some basic reproductive health information to women with disability.”

He said more needs to be done to bridge the health infrastructure deficit.

“Our health facilities are failing because the structures that are built are simply inaccessible to a lot of Persons with Disability.”

The Central Gonja District Director of Health, David Bakari, applauded the team for the support.

He assured the facilities will be put to good use.

Women with disabilities, including women with visual, physical and hearing impairment experience a lot of difficulty and stigma in accessing sexual and reproductive health services and information worldwide.

By Christopher Amoako|editors.3news.com|Ghana