Unified healthcare must for persons with disabilities
Persons with disabilities need an inclusive healthcare and rehabilitation system and there should be strngthened coordination between the ministries of health and social welfare to ensure that, said experts at a roundtable on Tuesday.
The understanding between health and rehabilitation practitioners is also key to provide the persons with disability the best healthcare and rehabilitation services, they added.
The roundtable titled 'The role of practitioners and organisations in ensuring inclusive healthcare and rehabilitation' was held at the Prothom Alo office in the city. It was organised by the daily in association with Handicap International-Humanity and Inclusion, Bangladesh and the European Union.
At the beginning of the roundtable, Handicap International coordinator Md Mazedul Huq and project manager Golam Mostafa presented the findings of two surveys before the participants.
One of the surveys was jointly carried out by the Handicap International and Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, in two districts -- Kurigram and Narsingdi.
Among the 6,500 people surveyed, 60 per cent did not had access to healthcare while 83 per cent were being deprived of a rehabilitation process.
In Narsingdi, the figures were 28 per cent and 47 per cent respectively.
The other survey was carried out by the Handicap International and National Pratibandhi (Persons with Disabilities) Foundation in 2018.
It showed that it takes about 2.5 years for someone to have rehabilitation services from the time s/he first experiences a problem.
The study recommended increasing awareness about the rehabilitation services among the health practitioners and ensuring a strong referral system between health and rehabilitation practitioners.
Addressing the roundtable as the chief guest, Md Golam Rabbani, chairman of the Neuro-Developmental Disability Protection Trust, said the social welfare ministry is providing services to the persons with disabilities through 103 centres.
However, there is a lack of the latest technologies and trained staff.
Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP) founder Valerie Ann Taylor said trained human resources are needed to provide services to the persons with disabilities. There is a five-year programme to train interested people, but the government at present is giving more importance on short-term programmes.
The roundtable was moderated by Prothom Alo associate editor Abdul Quayum. Speakers at the roundtable thanksed the government for passing the Bangladesh Rehabilitation Council Act 2018. However, there are some limitations, they observed.
Physiotherapy Association general secretary Md Shahadat Hossain said people should know where they can avail physiotherapy services.
Society of Speech and Language Therapists president Fida Al-Shams said a number of people are now claiming to offer speech and language therapy services after attending sub-standard courses and obtaining certificates.
The government should frame a guideline to this end, added Debesh Das, director of Disabled Rehabilitation and Research Association.