The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) and health sector partners including Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Primary Healthcare Corporation (PHCC) and Sidra Medicine this week celebrate International Day for Persons with Disabilities (IDPWD). Celebrated annually on 3 December, this year Qatar was uniting under the theme of - Leadership and participation of persons with disabilities toward an inclusive, accessible and sustainable post-COVID-19 world.
The National Lead of the National Health Strategy 2018-2022 ‘Health and Wellbeing for People with Special Needs’ priority area at the MOPH, and Director of the Audiology and Balance Unit at HMC, Dr. Khalid Abdul Hadi, said that this year, the healthcare system unites to raise awareness around the challenges, barriers and opportunities for people who live with disabilities, in the context of a global pandemic.
“COVID-19 reinforced the importance of establishing easy access to services for people with disabilities - particularly vulnerable segment of the population encompasses a variety of conditions and impairments, those with disabilities have faced many barriers throughout the pandemic,” he said. “We must all recognize that people who live with disabilities are among the most affected populations amid the COVID pandemic and work collectively to ensure that they are recognized, included and supported.”
Dr. Abdul Hadi said work is ongoing through the National Health Strategy to improve the early detection of disability, promote diagnostic procedures and referrals to services, and continue to develop early intervention programs and support services. He said one of the achievements of the Strategy, is the establishment of “The Early Identification, Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention of Childhood Disabilities” National Clinical Guideline, which is published on the MOPH website.
“All partners in the health sector are working towards a goal of a 20 percent improvement by 2022 in persons with disabilities access to the community-based health services that they need. As part of this, registers for persons with disabilities have been established and easy access to general and specialized services and pathways to access services improved,” Dr. Abdul Hadi said. “This is a priority that focuses on integrating persons with a disability into the community and to enable them to achieve a better future for themselves and others.”
Dr. Sadriya Alkohji, National Lead of the National Health Strategy 2018-2022 ‘Healthy Children and Adolescents’ priority area at MOPH, and Assistant Director of Medicine for Child and Adolescent Health at PHCC said “PHCC is keen to support and empower people with disabilities. We always strive to design regulated, high-quality health services which are appropriate for individuals with disabilities, to provide them with the necessary support based on their health needs.”
“PHCC provides health services in sensory-friendly environments in health center waiting rooms, and offers a fast track service for all age groups with special needs to facilitate and speed up obtaining medical advice and treatment services in health centers,” she added.
“In an effort to support and empower parents of autistic children, PHCC provides a Community Support Program (Early Bird), which is a training program for parents of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. The program works to improve and develop the parent-child relationship and facilitate ways of communication between them and their children diagnosed with autism in their natural environment,” added Dr. Al Kohji.
Dr. Lisa Thornton, Division Chief of Rehabilitative Medicine at Sidra Medicine said: “All children deserve the opportunity to reach their full potential and rehabilitation shows children what they are really capable of. As a hospital that has a strong rehabilitation program for children with disabilities, we are proud to support International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
“Our goal is for every child to maximize their health, function and well-being by providing them with the highest quality rehabilitative care. In order for us to jointly develop an inclusive, accessible and sustainable world for persons with disabilities, we encourage everyone involved in making this happen - from the healthcare entities, organizations, schools and most importantly the families. We should all be advocates in ensuring that persons with disabilities are given all the support and resources to live a happy and productive life. Let’s work together with them so that they can achieve the best outcomes.”
Qatar was one of the first states in the world to ratify the convention of the rights of persons with disabilities in 2008 and continues to develop services and support in this area. Since then, Qatar has made remarkable and significant strides for promoting and protecting their rights, their integration in the society as well as involving them in the development process in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030, which stipulates the achievement of equality and justice for all.
Source: Ministry of Public Health