The Albino Foundation (TAF) Africa has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with National Association of Government General Medical and Dental Practitioners (NAGGMDP) to strengthen disability inclusion in the country’s healthcare system.
The MoU was signed by heads of both organisations on Friday in Abuja.
At the signing of the MoU, the Founder of TAF Africa, Mr Jake Epelle, said the development was important to protect and think strategically on how to provide quality health and access to quality health for Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) in general.
He also said that together, both organisations would work toward ensuring legislations were enacted to support PWDs in getting quality care.
He added that “we are working at various fronts, Ministry of Health at the local level and the legislative, we’re going to put together a bill that will compel the National Assembly and the Federal Government to provide quality healthcare at all levels for PWDs.
“That’s majorly our overall goal, but there are other services that we can get as partners.”
The National President of NAGGMDP, Dr Sofori Peterside, said that the aim of the association is to ensure that PWDs get some sort of holidays in their healthcare bills.
According to him, there’s a huge burden with disabilities, which should be reduced.
Peterside said “we should explore ways to give PWDs free healthcare bill or at worst 50 per cent cut on their medical expenses.
“We are looking at where government should be responsive and sensitive and work deliberately toward inclusion of everybody, especially citizens living with disabilities.”
He added that since doctors are found in every community in the country and attend to PWDs, their conduct while attending to them is very important.
“So, what we have done today will be cascaded down to all healthcare practitioners through the conduct of doctors in their various centres.
“So, when you see that person that has some challenges coming into your consulting space, you remember that you have been primed by a session to be deliberate about managing his/her cases.”
He also said there would be a collaborative survey to know how PWDs are being taken care of in their individual states to assess how the laws meant to protect their rights have fared.
NAGGMPD is an association of doctors who are primarily healthcare givers at public health facilities at the local, state, and Federal Government levels, including government parastatals.
The provisions of the MoU include inclusive planning, strategic engagements with PWDs, provision of accessible healthcare facilities for PWDs and capacity building on disability-inclusion.
Others are collection of inclusive data, learning and knowledge sharing and implementation of the National Disability Act.
