As part of efforts to ensure even Covid-19 vaccination in Nigeria, persons with disabilities on Tuesday canvassed for inclusion in the federal government’s vaccination plans and strategy.
In a medical outreach for the vaccination of Deaf women in Abuja, Hellen Beyioku, the Executive Director of Deaf women Aloud initiative, stressed the need for medical outreaches to bridge the communication gap that exists in society especially with regards to persons with disabilities.
She said “ We need to be carried along! Some of us don’t know what’s going on in the country and there Is a communication gap between us and the government. One of the challenges we have is the lack of access to health care due to the communication barrier in the hospital, we can’t access health care and the attitude of health providers is not pleasing.
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We Insist on medical outreach to bridge the communication gap. Now over 100 women have been vaccinated and more will be vaccinated. This outreach involves; Provision to check blood pressure, HIV status, Covid 19 vaccination. These people lack health information and that’s why this outreach was organized.” She concluded
Chief executive March care initiatives, MCI, Bunmi Lawan, in her remarks reiterated the need to bridge the communication gap that has hindered persons with disabilities from accessing health care
She said “For universal health care coverage to be achieved, and decrease in maternal motility rate, everyone needs to be included. For us to have the 70% population vaccinated before 2022 as announced by the Secretary to the federal government Boss Mustapha, persons with disabilities must be considered”
“Let a sign language interpreter be stationed in every healthcare center and anti-natal clinic in the country. Everyone should be carried along with irrespective of our challenges” she concluded.
