Group Seeks Improved Healthcare Services for Children with Disabilities

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

A non-governmental organisation, the Sedoo Initiative for Children with Special Needs (SECHILD), has urged the federal and state governments to urgently improve the healthcare services for children with disabilities in the country.

As part of efforts to improve access to quality healthcare services for children with disabilities, SECHILD held a stakeholders’ advocacy meeting in Abuja, on Tuesday, on how to strengthen collaboration between the civil society organisations and government agencies to achieve the goal.

Speaking to THISDAY, during the event, the founder of the SECHILD Centre, Kawan Aondofa-Anjira said although the National Health Act (2014) provided for free medical care for children with disabilities, hospitals and primary healthcare centres have failed to comply with the legislation.

According to her, the health insurance scheme should be made mandatory for all children with disability as a right, in order to minimise expenses being borne by the already overburdened parents.

She said the group was urging the government to make health services disability-inclusive, sufficient, effective and affordable so that healthcare costs do not cause financial hardship at the household level.

In addition, Aondofa-Anjira said there was need to strengthen Primary Healthcare policy to ensure full implementation of the Abuja Declaration through mobilisation of domestic resources and improved budgetary allocation for the management of the Primary Healthcare Centres.

She said stakeholders, while lamenting the sufferings of the children, suggested the creation of a disability desk in all primary healthcare centres across the country.

While urging the government to properly equip the primary healthcare centres, Aondofa-Anjira said intervention and treatment for children with disabilities should be given special attention.

Speaking at the event, advocacy Officer at the Leprosy Mission Nigeria, Dr. Agbo Andrew Offoma, lamented that facilities at most of the primarily healthcare centres in the country where the disabled children could access care were not in good shape.

He said the Mission was ever ready to provide support for the cause of better healthcare services for children with disabilities.

Representative of NAPTIP, expressed hope that meeting would articulate ideas that would help address the plight of these vulnerable children and to recommend a way forward for the healthcare system.

Representative of the Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission, Mrs. Oluchi Adieze, said the commission was aware of the plight of children with disabilities with regard to absence of quality healthcare services and was is making efforts to ensure that the situation is reversed.

Representative of the Kuje Area Council, Danladi Ma’aji, said the Council has been doing its best to ensure that children with disabilities within the Area Council have access to better healthcare services at the designated Primary Health Centres.