Free Education, Healthcare For PWDs Under CPP Gov't - Greenstreet

The flagbearer of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Ivor Greenstreet, has promised persons with disabilities (PWDs) will enjoy free healthcare, education, transport and job security if he wins the December 7 elections.

According to him, a CPP government will implement the policies of the United Nations Convention for the Rights of Persons Living with Disability and the Disability Act of Ghana which specify several policy interventions for physically challenged persons.

Speaking during a maiden Eastern regional conference for PWDs, organized by the Ghana Society of the Physically Disabled in Koforidua, Greenstreet vowed to fulfill that promise once the electorate give him the mandate.

He said the manifesto of the CPP had already captured the policy, indicating how committed the party is towards that dream.

“So apart from all the things we know [a lot] are supposed to be done - implementation of the Disability Act, implementation of the clauses in UN Convention for the Rights of Persons with Disability. They came out with some key areas that they said we should use as our focus - transportation for all persons with disability should be free, healthcare for persons with disability should be free, that education from Kindergarten to Tertiary for persons with disability should be free, that we should pass a law that requires all employers whether public employers or employers in the private sector, to employ 5% of their employees as persons with disability,” Greenstreet noted.

He expressed optimism that even though the Flagstaff House is not disable friendly, because the architects never anticipated a disable person will ever become president, he will make history as Ghana’s first wheelchair bound president next year.

The Ghana Federation of Disability has announced the Federation is going to be radical henceforth to ensure the full implementation of the Disability Act in Ghana.

Its president Yaw Debrah lamented Ghana has enacted fine legislations that seek to protect the rights and freedom of PWDs but are inactive as a result of lack of political commitment and "implementation deficit".