Lost in Healthcare: Access, Translation and Utilization for People Living with Disabilities (PWDs)

Healthcare should be accessible by all, without discrimination of any kind. The subject of access to health is embedded in both international and national laws - the 1948 constitution for the United Nations World Health Organization (UNWHO) and the 1992 Constitution of Ghana. While no basis for prevention to access to healthcare has been provided, a group of people in society, Persons living with disability (PWDs), are often unable to access and enjoy the full benefits of health which is central to the wellbeing and development of a people. The barriers that prevent the more than three million persons living with disability (PWDs) in Ghana from accessing healthcare exist on both the demand and supply sides. Certain health initiatives such as the Village Health Workers Initiative, Primary Health Care, Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS), the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) coupled with the 1992 Constitution of Ghana (chapter 6) were introduced decades ago to ameliorate the challenges in the healthcare system. Some improvements in the health status of Ghanaians have been recorded, but inequalities persist, with dire consequences for many, particularly persons living with disabilities.

About the Speaker

Dr Abena Asomaning Antwi is Managing Director of the Africa Environmental Sanitation Consult (AfESC) and a lecturer at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA). She has a PhD in Health Economics from the University of Lille, France. She has previously worked with a number of Ghanaian ministries, including the Ministry of Health. For over a decade, Dr Antwi operated an NGO which supports the rehabilitation and reintegration of women and juvenile prison inmates and abused children in Ghana. In 2018, she was awarded a Commonwealth Points of Light Award in recognition of this work. In 2019, she won formal recognition for her achievements under the Femme de Jour scheme operated by the French President, Emmanuel Macron. Dr Antwi is passionate about healthcare access in Africa, particularly for the vulnerable in society.