The Sunday Mail
IN this article, I continue to unpack the provisions of the National Disability Policy which was launched by President Mnangagwa on June 9, 2021.
The Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, led by Honourable Minister Professor Paul Mavima oversees the implementation of the National Disability Policy, thus moving the provisions of the policy from paper to the real world to make a positive difference in the lives of persons with disabilities and their families.
The focus of this article is on Section 3.7 (Health) of the National Disability Policy, which is set out as follows:
3.7.1 Ensure access by persons with disabilities to gender responsive health services and health related rehabilitation and information in appropriate formats at all levels (prevention, treatment, care and support).
3.7.2 Persons with disabilities must have access to free health services in public health care institutions, including in the areas of sexual and reproductive health care and population-based public health programmes.
3.7.3 Injustice, discrimination and marginalisation of persons with disabilities in health care structures is an offence.
3.7.4 Persons with disabilities must be provided with the same range, quality and standard of health care as provided to other persons.
3.7.5 Persons with disabilities must have access to health services that are related to disability, including early identification, and intervention as appropriate, and services designed to minimise and prevent further disabilities, including among children and older persons.
3.7.6 Health services must be provided in places that are as close as possible to the communities where persons with disabilities live, including in rural areas.
3.7.7 Persons with disabilities must have their individual right to free and informed consent respected within healthcare settings — decisions including in the area of sexual and reproductive healthcare, must not be imposed on persons with disabilities, and their individual consent must not be replaced or substituted by a third party.
3.7.8 Experimenting with the bodies of persons with disabilities in health settings, without their free and informed consent must be investigated, and appropriate action must be taken.
3.7.9 Strive to ensure that a minimum of 15 percent of health students at all levels, per enrolment, comprise persons with different kinds of disabilities.
3.7.10 The curriculum of all health students and allied health professional courses must include the subject of disability as an examinable subject, including on ensuring accessible information and communications and the rights of persons with disabilities in health care settings.
3.7.11 Health professionals (students and in-service) must be trained on human rights, dignity, autonomy and requirements of persons with disabilities.
3.7.12 Ensure sign language interpretation services are made available in all health care settings. Some health students and professionals must be trained to use the Zimbabwean Sign Language.
3.7.13 All disability training programmes must be approved by the Department of Disability Affairs, Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, to ensure quality control as well as to provide a point of collaboration and consultation with persons with disabilities so that they can have input into the trainings as well as participate in them.
3.7.14 Guidelines that relate to ethical standards for healthcare of persons with disabilities in both public and private settings must be formulated.
3.7.15 Denying persons with disabilities access to health care or health services, food or fluids on the basis of disability is an offence.
3.7.16 The principles of universal design and reasonable accommodation as defined in the National Disability Policy must be adopted in healthcare infrastructure modification or initial construction of health care centres.
3.7.17 All public health campaigns, must be inclusive and accessible to persons with disabilities.
3.7.18 During consultation, health professionals must allow persons with disabilities to share their experiences, because the understanding of disability, requires much more than clinical facts.
3.7.19 Health service providers must organise sign language services for Deaf persons in health care settings, including in child delivery processes.
3.7.20 All health care institutions must provide services and information to persons with disabilities in appropriate formats that include the Zimbabwean Sign Language, large print and Braille.
3.7.21 Collaboration between traditional, religious and contemporary healthcare practitioners and associated professionals must be promoted and supported to reduce antagonism and practices that are detrimental to the health and well-being of persons with disabilities.
3.7.22 The “At Risk Surveillance System” under the Ministry of Health and Child Care must be fully applied in order to generate statistics about children who are born with disabilities as well as to monitor what happens to them thereafter — privacy and confidentiality of concerned individuals must be respected.
3.7.23 Disaggregated data that is drawn from all health care systems including the “At Risk Surveillance System, must be submitted in November of each year to the Department of Disability Affairs, Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare. Privacy and confidentiality of concerned individuals must be respected.
3.7.24 The nature of free healthcare that is provided to persons with disabilities in public health care institutions, must be consolidated in a database that must be submitted in November of every year to the Department of Disability Affairs, Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare.
3.7.25 The Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare must provide visa application support letters to persons with disabilities who intend to travel to countries that are outside of Zimbabwe to seek health care services.
3.7.26 Persons with disabilities should not be discriminated against in health, life and funeral insurance programmes.
So what does it all mean?
Section 3.7 of the National Disability Policy calls for an end to the discrimination of persons with disabilities in the national healthcare delivery system.
For example, some healthcare personnel reportedly shout at women with disabilities who present themselves at reproductive healthcare centres, to deliver babies, alongside a fallacious belief that women with disabilities have no place in childbirth. Yet, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (which informs the National Disability Policy), clearly states that persons with disabilities have a right to establish their own families and to decide on the number and spacing of their own children.
The enrolment of qualified students with disabilities in health and allied professionals and the training of health professionals (students and in-service) on human rights, dignity, autonomy and requirements of persons with disabilities, demonstrate Government’s commitment towards promoting the rights of persons with disabilities, and so does all the other provisions of the National Disability Policy that are articulated above.
Dr Christine Peta is a disability, policy, international development and research expert who is the national director of disability Affairs in Zimbabwe — she can be contacted on: [email protected]
