By Naa Shormei Odonkor/Nathashia Arthur GNA     

Koforidua (E/R), Dec. 4, GNA - People with disabilities in the New Juaben South Municipality have no access to public institutions and duty bearers in the Municipality.

In most cases, persons who are physically challenged could have access to the ground floor of the offices of the duty bearers but had no access to the duty bearers’ whose offices are often at the higher floors.

Public institutions such as the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC), Social Welfare Department (SWD), Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Health (MOH), Ministry of Education (MOE), as well as the Police Station and the office of the Municipal Chief Executive are not disability friendly despite the code of the country on the right of the disabled.

A survey conducted by the Ghana News Agency in Koforidua as part of activities to mark the World Disability Day in the Municipality, revealed that apart from the Eastern Regional Hospital, the RCC, SWD and the MOH in the New Juaben South Municipality are not disability friendly.

It is difficult for the physically challenged to get to the Regional Minister’s Office at the RCC to resolve any challenge. 

Mr Abeiku Denis, the Assistant Director of Administration, said though the RCC building was not disability friendly, measures were being put in place to address the situation, adding that people who were hearing impaired could not be attended to because the institution had no  sign language  interpreter.

Mr Isaac J. Acquaye, the Head of Program for Justice Advocacy in the Department of Social Welfare, said that the building was disability unfriendly but authorities did well to attend to the disabled by going down the steps to address their issues.

He noted that persons who were hearing impaired were often communicated with through writing, but if not they were communicated to through local sign language.          The Deputy Head of the Records Department of the Eastern Regional Hospital, Mr Daniel Obeng, called persons with hearing impairment and needs medical attention to visit the Hospital because nurses have been trained in sign language to communicate with them.

He said the Hospital records indicated that only few people with hearing impairment visited the Hospital for medical attention.

GNA