DWAI visits Gwagwalada area council, advocates for accessible healthcare facilities for deaf women and girls

Deaf Women Aloud Initiative, DWAI has paid advocacy visit to the Gwagwalada area council chairman, Hon. Adamu Mustapha Danze, pressed for accessible healthcare services and employment of a deaf woman in the council.

The Executive Director of DWAI, Hellen Beyioku-Alase made the disclosure while delivering a speech at the council chairman’s office on Wednesday.

The project is part of DWAI’s activities to implement access to healthcare services for deaf women and girls in four area councils, funded by Disability Rights Fund, DRF. The four councils include; Gwagwalada, Kuje, Bwari, Abuja municipal area council (AMAC).

According to her, Deaf women experience health challenges from misdiagnose to mistreatment due to communication barriers at the healthcare sectors. Hence, the need to employ the service of sign language interpreters to enhance communication between the health workers and deaf women and girls.

She also called for employment of a deaf person at the area council to compliment the good work the council has been doing.

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“Communication and disability barriers should not hinder persons with Disabilities especially the deaf from benefiting from your services.” She said.

Comrade Olubunmi Lawal, a paediatric nurse, midwife and the immediate past president of National Association of Nigerian paediatric Nurses, in complementing Hellen’s speech, urged provision of a sign language interpreter at the Teaching Hospital in Gwagwalada especially at the Ante-natal clinic (ANC) department to enhance effective communication because according to her “delivery and pregnancy comes with a whole lot of problems even for us without disability, talk more of the deaf.”

She also pleaded for employment of a deaf woman in the council.

In his response, chairman of the council, Alhaji Adamu, who highlighted the importance of communication in social life, assured of employing the services of sign language interpreters in Gwagwalada Teaching Hospital.

He tasked the Director, Primary Health Centre, Gwagwalada area council, Dr. Adeyemi Adeniran Sunday who was present at the meeting to take the necessary measure to effect the employment of sign language interpreter at Gwagwalada teaching hospital and employ a deaf woman in the area council.

Climax of the event was the presentation of award to the council chairman, Alhaji Adamu.