Deaf Women Aloud Initiative, DWAI has taken its Accessible Healthcare Services Crusade to the Kuje Area Council, Abuja. Included in its demand for the crusade is the immediate employment of a couple sign language interpreters in the two health care centres, along with a deaf labour attendant to reduce maternal mortality rate at the council.
The Executive Director of DWAI, Mrs. Hellen Beyioku-Alase made the disclosure while delivering a speech to the council chairman in his office on Thursday.
The project, supported by Disability Rights Fund, 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).
In her remarks, Hellen heaped praises on the council chairman for the good works he has been doing. She revealed that Deaf women have many challenges as regard to health services, one of them being communication barriers between healthcare providers and deaf women and girls. This status quo discourages them going to health centres
She called on the council chair to use his good office to engage the services a of sign language interpreters at the Kuje general hospital and Kuje primary health centre to enhance communication between health workers and deaf women and girls.
According to Mrs Hellen, “If we have at least one (1) interpreter in each of these health care centres, it will reduce maternal and mortality death.”
Although there is a deaf person (man) employed by the council, Mrs Hellen, wanting to ensure deaf women are carried along and achieve gender equality, urged the chairman to employ the services of a deaf girl.
Dr Grace Ilori, the project manager of Deaf Women Aloud Initiative (DWAI) in her remarks to compliment what Hellen had said, enlightened the chairman on communication barriers using herself, Hellen and the chairman as example.
“We have deaf women who go to hospital and the doctor does not understand their language, nor do the nurses. Such constitute a serious problem.
Furrhermore, We have many deaf women who have refused to go to the hospital because when they get to the hospital, there is a communication barrier and that is why many of them stay back and give birth at home, often with complications.”
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The chairman of the council, Mr. Abdulahi Suleiman Sabo, who described Persons with Disabilities as special citizens, acknowledged their contribution towards his emergencd as the council chair.
He acknowledged difficulties in employing the services of sign language interpreters on full time basis but assured that the interpreters will be engaged on agreed stipend payments, starting from next month till the duration of his stay in office.
Sabo tasked each interpreter to liaise with the healthcare centres where they will work because the general hospital is a secondary health care facility which is controlled by the F.C.T.
He also pledged to consider deaf girls in empowerment and employment.
Suleiman added that he was mandated to submit names of women for empowerment from the Small and Medium Scale Enterprise (SMSE) and asked the group to submit three women from Kuje area council and their account details in one hour at the time of this writing.
Highlight of the event was the presentation of award of excellence to the council chairman in recognition of his services to not only persons with disabilities, but to the general public.