Medical rehabilitation in Ghana (original) (raw)
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Assessment of Rehabilitation Capacity in Ghana
Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development, 2016
This study describes a cross-sectional assessment of infrastructure, human resources, and types of rehabilitation interventions provided in a sample of healthcare facilities in Ghana. The objectives were to (a) develop and pilot a questionnaire assessing rehabilitation capacity in LMICs, and (b) provide initial data regarding available rehabilitation care in rural Ghana. Methods: Data was collected from a sample of rehabilitation workers at 9 facilities, comprised of 5 regional and 4 district hospitals, located in seven of the ten geographical regions of Ghana. Participants completed a modified version of the World Health Organisation's Tool for Situational Analysis to Assess Emergency and Essential Surgical Care, adapted to reflect core indicators of rehabilitation infrastructure. Participating facilities were mailed questionnaires and agreed to subsequent site visits from the first author. Results: There were several limitations associated with basic rehabilitation infrastructure. Consistent with previous research, significant human resources limitations were observed as hospital-based rehabilitation services were primarily rendered by 20 physiotherapists and 21 physiotherapy assistants across the 9 participating sites. No rehabilitation physicians were identified at any of the surveyed facilities. With regard to therapeutic interventions, management of musculoskeletal impairments was generally consistent with current evidencebased practices, whereas rehabilitative approaches for neurologic conditions were limited to physical rather than sensory-motor modalities.
Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development, 2021
Purpose: The study examined the challenges associated with vocational rehabilitation for persons with disabilities in the Kumasi metropolis of Ghana. It assessed the support available for vocational rehabilitation delivery centres and suggested measures that could ensure effective delivery of services to persons with disabilities. Method: The study design was descriptive and qualitative. Purposive sampling was used to select 4 heads/managers and 11 tutors from four institutions offering vocational rehabilitation services for persons with disabilities. Interviews were conducted with the aid of semi-structured interview guides. Data was transcribed from audio-recordings and analysed using a thematic approach. The themes and codes are presented as findings and supported by quotes. Results: The study revealed that the vocational rehabilitation centres in the Kumasi metropolis face challenges such as: insufficient finance, infrastructure deficits, inadequate teaching and learning materia...
Edorium Journal of Disability and Rehabilitation, 2016
Aims: Disability and Rehabilitation Medicine are lagging behind in resource-limited settings (RLS). Baseline data from these settings should set goals for implementation. Following legislation (N°83/013/1983) on the protection of persons with disabilities in Cameroon, we sought to assess the types and potential determinants of physical disability, in order to set-up pitfalls towards better protection and promotion of human rights among disable Cameroonians. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in June 2013 among physical disable individuals living in the Health District of Dschang, a locality of the western region of Cameroon with people from diverse origins. A standard questionnaire identifying disabilities and related socio-economic and health determinants was administered to each identified disabled. Results: Out of 159 physically disabled (55.9% female and mean age 36 years [sd±17.26], 33.8% with primary educational-level), orthopedic (mainly due to fracture [45.8%] an...
Cloak of Invisibility: A Literature Review of Physical Disability in Ghana
SAGE Open
This literature review surveys the state of current scholarship on physical disability in Ghana. The intention is to identify major themes and opinions relating to the challenges faced by Ghanaians with physical disabilities. After an extensive literature review, the authors selected 21 articles for inclusion based on the criteria that they had to focus on physical disability in a Ghanaian setting. Reviewing the articles revealed that most scholars have focused on the pervasive oppression of Ghanaians with physical disabilities. Six major topic areas emerged, including the experience of the disability rights movement from the 1990s to the present, the public perception of people with physical disabilities, the issue of families and abuse, the rights to education, challenges around employment and finances, and health care for disabled Ghanaians. This literature review presents these topics, discusses their implications, and makes suggestions for further research and action to improve...
CBR, Health and Rehabilitation, Disability and International Development Journal, 2013
Like all persons, persons with disabilities also have different health care needs, from childhood till old age. Some of them also have specific health care and rehabilitation needs linked to their impairments. Only a small percentage of persons with disabilities in the developing world has access to health care and rehabili tation services. This article looks at the barriers faced by persons with disabilities in accessing health care and rehabilitation services and the development of health care related activities in the CBR.
BMC Public Health
Background Worldwide, fifteen percent (15%) of the world’s population or one (1) billion people live with some form of disability. In Uganda, 12.4% of the Uganda’s population lives with some form of disability and Kawempe division accounts for (22.6%) of all persons with disabilities living in Kampala district. Rehabilitation services are provided within Kawempe division at Mulago hospital physiotherapy department and Katalemwa rehabilitation center in Kampala district, Uganda at a free and a subsidized cost to help to improve the function, independence, and quality of life of persons with physical disabilities. However, many people with physical disabilities do not utilize the services and the reasons are not clear. Methods The study design was a descriptive cross-sectional study employing quantitative methods of data collection. A total of 318 participants were included in the study. Simple random sampling was used to select the study participants. Ethical issues were maintained a...
Access Barriers to Health Care among People with Disabilities in the Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana
Canadian Journal of Disability Studies, 2016
Health care is a human right yet access barriers to health care remain one of the major challenges among people with disabilities. One of the several reasons accounting for this is that there is little evidence on access barriers to healthcare among people with disabilities. This partly explains the gaps in policy design and implementation of appropriate interventions for people with disabilities. This study aimed at contributing to filling the evidence gaps on access barriers to healthcare among people with disabilities in the Kumasi Metropolis in Ghana. The study found different access barriers among different disability types and socio-demographic groups. Redesigning and resourcing health facilities to be more people with disabilities' friendly could improve mitigate these barriers.
Introduction: Awareness of disability issues has gained considerable interest by advocacy groups in recent years. However, it is uncertain whether attitudes and perceptions of all service providers and society have adjusted accordingly towards the health care of people with disabilities). This study sought to examine the attitudes of health providers from the perspective of people with disabilities in the Kumasi Metropolis. Methods: A cross-sectional study using semi-structured questionnaires was conducted with people with disabilities (with physical, hearing and visual impairments,) in the Kumasi Metropolis. The study used a multi-stage sampling involving cluster and simple random sampling to select 255 respondents split amongst the following five clusters of communities; Oforikrom, Subin, Asewase, Tafo and Asokwa. Data were analysed using STATA 14 and presented in descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The study found that 71% of the respondents faced some form of discrimination including the use of derogatory remarks, frustration and unavailable required services on the basis of their disability, the type of services they need and the location. Women were 3.89 times more likely to face discrimination; Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 3.89 (95% confidence interval [CI]; 1.41, 10.76), and visually impaired was more likely to be discriminated at the facility compared with physical disability; AOR = 5.05 (95% CI; 1.44, 17.65). However, respondents with some educational qualification and those who stayed with their family members were less likely to face discrimination; AOR = 0.08 (95% CI; 0.01, 0.39). Conclusion: The study recommends the provision of in-service training for service providers to update their knowledge on disability issues and improve access to services for people with disabilities.
Research Square (Research Square), 2024
No competing interests reported. (including children with disabilities). The law also establishes the National Council on Persons with Disability and includes administrative and nancial provisions to support implementation of same (Ocran, 2019). However, among the key challenges with implementing Ghana's Persons with Disability Act, 2006 (Act 715) is the lack of political will by successive governments to approve a Legislative Instrument that would operationalize the Act (Sackey, 2015; Srem-sai, 2015; Tudzi, Bugri and Danso, 2017). Insu cient funding and resource constraints have further hindered the implementation of the Act (Opoku et al., 2016). The National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE) and the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), responsible for promoting the rights of all individuals regardless of disability, have remained silent on these issues, raising questions about their dedication to disability rights. Ghana, known for its human rights record, must reevaluate its treatment of persons with disabilities and take speci c measures to respect, ful ll, promote, and protect their rights. The ineffectiveness of Ghana's Persons with Disability Act, 2006 (Act 715) to enhance access to healthcare services for this vulnerable social unit (i.e., children with disabilities and their families) contradicts the common notion that "civilized societies do not fail the vulnerable" (Reeves, 2017). Consequently, it is incumbent to understand the healthcare access experiences of children with disabilities and their families as described in the Act 715, in order to push advocacy and enhance removal of barriers. Access to health is a fundamental right (Buchanan 2017), grounded in several international human rights instruments (i.e., Principles of the Constitution of the World Health Organization and Section 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights). Right to health access is becoming increasingly important due to the intricate relationship between healthy population and economic productivity (Grossman, 2017). Consequently, there is advocacy that persons regardless of their disability/impairment, gender, sex, gender, race, beliefs and wealth, among other characteristics are expected to be given conducive platform to enjoy their rights to health (Ooms, Keygnaert & Hammonds, 2019). In particular, right to health is
Disability and Rehabilitation, 2020
Purpose: To explore the experiences of persons with physical disabilities accessing and using rehabilitation services in Sierra Leone. Materials and methods: Interviews of 38 individuals with differing physical disabilities in three locations across Sierra Leone. An inductive approach was applied, and qualitative content analysis used. Results: Participants faced several barriers to accessing and using rehabilitation services. Six themes emerged: The initial and ongoing need for rehabilitation throughout life; challenges with the cost of rehabilitation and transportation to reach rehabilitation services; varied experiences with rehabilitation staff; coming to terms with disability and encountering stigma; the struggles without and opportunities with rehabilitation services; and limited knowledge and availability of rehabilitation services. Conclusions: There is a continued need to address the barriers associated with the affordability of rehabilitation through the financing of rehabilitation and transportation and exploring low-cost care delivery models. Rehabilitation services, assistive devices, and materials need to be available in existing rehabilitation centres. A national priority list is recommended to improve the availability and coordination of rehabilitation services. Improved knowledge about disability and rehabilitation services in the wider community is needed. Addressing discriminatory health beliefs and the stigma affecting people with disabilities through community interventions and health promotion is recommended. ä IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION Financing for rehabilitation, transportation to services and low-cost delivery models of care areneeded to reduce financial barriers and increase affordability of access and use. Community interventions and health promotion can provide information about the utility and availability of rehabilitation services, while addressing health beliefs and stigma towards persons with disabilities. The availability of both rehabilitation services and information, that is relevant and accessible is required to facilitate improved access and use of rehabilitation services.