Extend expedite healthcare services to all children with special needs – Families

Some parents of children with disabilities have called on the Family Health Division of the Ghana Health service to extend the expedited services given to children with Autism at GHS facilities to all children with disabilities

The parents discussing the issue on the Special Mothers Project platform, pointed out that all children with disabilities have some special needs and waiting in queues at the hospitals to be attended to was very stressful and frustrating.

The Special Mothers Project is an advocacy and awareness creation programme on cerebral palsy issues and issues affecting families raising children with special needs.

Ms. Agnes Tieko Nyemi-Tei, a mother of a child with Down Syndrome and Founder of Todah Connect Foundation, an organization that supports persons with Down syndrome said: “It is not easy taking any child or even an adult with disability to the hospital and if the GHS can provide expedite services for such persons, it will be very good.

” She urged the GHS to also provide special cards for all children with disabilities and special needs to give them expedited services at the hospital as being done for the Autism community.

Adwoa Okorewaa, a mother of a child with cerebral palsy, who also shared her experience, said, it is very discomforting carrying my “big” eight-year-old child at my back scouting for services at the hospital.

She said to even feed a child with cerebral palsy is a daunting task and requires a lot of time, I am never able to access the government hospitals because you have to be there early in the morning to queue, something almost impossible for me.

Ms. Okorewaa said she resorted to going to the private hospitals for services and asked how many parents can afford the private services.

The Special Mothers Project platform has about 257 members on WhatsApp consisting of families raising children with cerebral palsy and other disabilities, health and allied professionals and counselors.

The Ghana Health Service Family Health Division on the 11thof November issued a statement directing all GHS facilities to expedite services for children with Autism.