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Persons with Disabilities Call for Improved Accessibility to Health Facilities
Uwajeneza Donatha
Feb 25, 2024 - 11:31
Persons with disabilities are requesting institutions responsible for their welfare to prioritize the provision of services tailored to their specific needs, particularly concerning accessible healthcare facilities. They argue that these needs are not limited to time but also encompass various other factors. The National Council of Persons with Disabilities (NCPD) states that it collaborates with stakeholders to ensure that accessible healthcare and rehabilitation services are available to address the diverse impacts on the lives of users.
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Those affected within the community, including survivors like mine and others, stress the importance of bodily function issues beyond mere timing, emphasizing the diverse challenges they face, including physical disabilities.
One person expressed, "The way accessibility is being implemented is crucial; it should be tailored to individual body needs. It could waste your time or even cause embarrassment, turning into a nightmare."
Another added, "I once went to check on my health, and I encountered a problem. I'm saying I won't go back there. When you see accessibility implemented, it's not at the level where you are comfortable, as in a nightmare. Sometimes it gives you other problems beyond those you initially had."
Francis Karangwa Kavurati, a leader of the organization of landmine survivors and amputees in Rwanda, urges continued efforts to ensure improved methods of both access and observation.
"We urge those responsible for renovations to consider including us, as beneficiaries, so that they can accurately see our needs. Because the RSSB (Rwanda Social Security Board) can afford it or put these accessibility standards in place through tenders or other funding sources that help us purchase these standards."
"Let them renovate buildings so that they can hold workshops to make us understand how our bodies work and what to do if there are any problems that could have consequences like those."
However, these accessibility standards sometimes conflict with human body needs! Therefore, the relevant institutions emphasize the need to collaborate with technology experts to create solutions tailored to individual needs.
In a telephone interview, Emmanuel NDAYISABA, Deputy Director of the National Council for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD), told Isango Star that "sometimes accessibility has many facets due to what it involves. The human body's limitations often involve factors such as terrain or the level of accessibility... it's not just one thing, and it can have different effects; one can adapt well, but your body might suffer from the consequences ... that's an example."
He went on to say, "But when it comes to accessibility, what it seeks is for you to be able to move around freely and comfortably. As a person with a disability, you may need special attention to ensure you travel without facing many obstacles, leading to many consequences."
He continued, "That's why we also involve ourselves in finding ways to collaborate with people in technology to develop accessible healthcare and rehabilitation methods so that they can perform well. We also continue to seek out what works best in terms of technology."
In general, a person can lose bodily function due to accidents, illnesses, or even being born with disabilities.
written by Kavukire Alexis.
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