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Addressing disability concerns will aid Health Vision 2020 – Rehab Director
From all indications the prevalence of disability is growing nationally, regionally, as well as globally, and is a direct
Director of Rehabilitation Services, Debita Harripersaud, delivers her presentation
consequence of motor vehicle accidents, mental health, violence in communities, and the rise in chronic health conditions.
This assertion was on Wednesday made by Director (acting) of the Ministry of Health’s Rehabilitation Services, Ms Debita Harripersaud, who pointed out that based on available evidence, there is going to be a significant need for more disability and rehabilitation services in Guyana.
Although the census of 2002 revealed a disability population of about 50,000 people, Harripersaud disclosed that, that figure could in fact stand at in excess of 200,000 as at the time of the census persons who were institutionalised, homeless, or even with temporary disabilities, were not accounted for.
However, keen efforts are currently being made by the Health Ministry to ensure that close attention is paid to this particular area, in light of the fact that it has been neglected for too long.
Moreover, the Disability and Rehabilitation Services is listed as one of seven programmes within the Ministry and consists of seven sub-programmes: Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech and Language Therapy, Audiology, Open Doors – the National Institute for Vocational Training for persons with Disabilities, Cheshire Home and the Administration under which two subvention programmes fall – the National Commission on Disabilities and the Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre.
But according to Harripersaud, Guyana is poised to better focus on its disabled population in keeping with its National Health Vision 2020 which projects that “our people are among the healthiest in the Caribbean and the Americas by 2020.”
It was for this reason that a tactical Strategic Plan, which was a long time in coming, was finally completed and launched on Wednesday last in the presence of stakeholders at the Pegasus Hotel in Kingston, Georgetown.
And this latest Plan, according to Harripersaud, is in keeping with the mission statement for Health Vision 2020 which states that “the Ministry of Health will create an enabling framework for full participation and provide leadership in the integrated delivery of quality, effective and responsive health services and prevention measures to improve the physical, mental and social well being of all peoples in Guyana.”
And as a direct sub-strategy, the National Rehabilitation Services Strategy underpins Health Vision 2020, Harripersaud noted, as it states that “Disability and Rehabilitation Services will deliver quality, effective and responsive services to persons with disabilities enabling them to fully participate as equal and productive citizens in equally supportive communities.”
Moreover, the goal of the National Rehabilitation Services Strategic Plan 2014-2020, is to support the realisation of Health Vision 2020 for persons with disabilities in Guyana through advancing their wellbeing, functionality and quality of life; reducing health inequities and delivering people-centred, quality, integrated and comprehensive disability and rehabilitation services. The latter, she noted, can however, only be achieved by strengthening the health system to deliver such services.
The intent, according to Harripersaud, is to ensure that there is acceptance for persons with disabilities as well as responsiveness to their needs. As such, the Plan throughout its life course is expected to help ensure the continuum of health care coverage and access to populations across all ages.
The Rehabilitation Director went on to share her conviction that disabled persons have a right to access Primary Health Care services (a community level of health care) which ensure that essential health care is universally accessible and at an affordable cost, if any.
Currently, the profile of persons with disabilities classifies persons being poor, elderly, uneducated and unemployed, said Harripersaud, as she pointed out that “still unfortunately we have a vicious cycle of poverty and disability.”
According to her, ahead of the realisation of the Strategy there were several crucial measures including the perusal of a strategy dated 2009-2013 which was coupled with extensive discussions which attracted both internal and external stakeholders’ engagements.
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