Centre For Citizens with Disabilities, has urged the Lagos State Government to make Covid-19 vaccine accessible to People With Disabilities in the state.
Its Executive Director, David Anyaele gave the urge during a presentation titled “Assessment of Access to Covid-19 Vaccine Among People With Disabilities living in Lagos.
Anyeale said structural, communication, and attitudinal barriers are some of the reasons why PWDS may not benefit from Covid-19 vaccine in Lagos State.
According to him, People With Disabilities in Nigeria are facing a plethora of challenges that often undermine their access to social and health care services.
In his words, the Lagos State Special People’s Law 2021 also pointed out in section 32(2) that PWDs are entitled to free health care service in state owned hospital.
“However, by observation, there is no deliberate and specific commitment from the government towards social and health inclusion of PWDs in their Covid-19 vaccine programme since its arrival.
“Most of the state agencies run their programmes without consideration for PWDs, especially the Ministry of Health and the Primary Health Care Board of Lagos State.
“The board designed the distribution of activities around COVID-19 vaccination without inclusion of people with disabilities, while education, information and education materials are not targeting our members.
“What we are sharing here today are fact from the street and not assumption,” he said.
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According to him, the deaf, physical, blind, spinal cord, albinism and leprosy where the five cluster groups of the socio-demographic profile of respondents for the research.
He noted that part of the objectives of the research was to evaluate available health stakeholders specific provisions for equal access to Covid-19 vaccine among PWDs in Lagos.
Anyaele called for collaboration with the Lagos State Primary Health Care Board and the Ministry of Health and the Lagos State Office of Disability Affairs (LASODA) to ensure that PWDs get easy access to Covid-19 vaccine.
“ The primary health board should collaborate with LASODA to build capacity of managers, administrators and field health workers working on Covid-19 vaccination at various levels on how to respond to PWDs clusters.
“The Ministry of Information should also collaborate without the health ministry and LASODA to roll out an inclusive information, education and communication programme on Access to Covid-19 vaccine for PWDs in the state.
Commissioner for Information, Gbenga Omotosho said government has put necessary arrangements in place to ensure every citizen of the state have access to the Covid-19 vaccine.
According to him, there was a policy which would guarantee inclusion, equal rights and opportunities and self-esteem of people living with disability in the state.
He urged Lagosians to keep observing the Covid-19 protocols by washing their hands and wearing their face mask always.
The Commissioner spoke through Director of Strategic Centre, Adesegun Ogundeji at the presentation of report on access to Covid-19 vaccine among people with disabilities at Ikeja.