Give Preferential Treatment To The Physically Challenged

Participants at a �focus group discussion�, have called for preferential treatment for people with disabilities (PWDs) at the hospitals. They should not be made to wait in queues, when they report at the facilities to seek medical care. Things must be done such that they could access health services with less difficulty and less stress. The programme brought together officials from the Non-formal Education Division (NFED) of the Education Ministry, Ghana Education Service (GES), an NGO - the Centre for the Development of People (CEDEP), the Media, the Department of Social Welfare and the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE). It was held under the theme �Towards inclusiveness and effective participation of persons with disabilities in Ghana, overcoming challenges and equality concerns for national development�. Organized by the Research, Gender and Equality Department of the Ashanti Regional Directorate of the NCCE, it provided the platform to critically examine disability issues, and to evaluate the impact of the various interventions designed to make things better for the PWDs. The meeting called for the enforcement of the directive that public buildings must be made disability-friendly and hailed the introduction of the Disability Fund. Mr. Alhassan Yakubu, the NCCE Regional Director, said there should be an end to the discrimination and stigmatization that tended to debase and dehumanize the PWDS. This called for intensive public education and sensitization to dispel the negative perception many have about the causes of disability - the attribution to witchcraft and curses must be rejected.