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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. Presentation to JMC Programmes for Persons with Disabilities 14 September 2007. INTRODUCTION. Focus of the Sub-Directorate: Disabilities is to: increase accessibility of health services to persons with disabilities
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH • Presentation to JMC • Programmes for Persons with Disabilities • 14 September 2007
INTRODUCTION Focus of the Sub-Directorate: Disabilities is to: • increase accessibility of health services to persons with disabilities • improve, promote and maintain accessibility to quality rehabilitation services • through implementation and integration of rehabilitation models and policies into the PHC system • following a Community Based Rehabilitation approach.
UNDERLYING PRINCIPLES • Health Act • National Rehabilitation Policy • UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities • Same range, quality & standard of care • Early identification, intervention • No discrimination • Local service delivery
NDOH CONTEXT • Strategic Plan • Improve access to health care for persons with disabilities • Monitoring implementation of Free Health Care, using national guidelines • Improve access to assistive devices • Improve accessibility to health care facilities.
FREE HEALTH CARE • Full health service package at hospital level. • Application of national protocol and assessment criteria. • Includes persons on disability grants. • Varying degrees of success in provinces • Crucially dependent on awareness by management and admin staff.
ACCESS TO ASSISTIVE DEVICES • NDOH eradication of backlog • Up to 30 000 wheelchairs & buggies • 16 000 hearing aids • Intention for Districts to develop sustainable budgeting process not always successful • Observed backlog on some provinces • Significant backlog in N Cape • Wheelchair repair Project • Access to service delivery • Socio-economic development in disability sector.
ACCESSIBILITY OF HEALTH FACILITIES • Initiated nationally, implemented at a district level involving teams including the disability sector. • Addresses ALL levels of access including communication. • Levels of accessibility acknowledged in terms of Bronze, Silver & Gold awards
ORIENTATION & MOBILITY SERVICES FOR THE BLIND • Previously, significantly ignored area of rehabilitation. • Primary service provider presently the NGO sector. • Consultation with all key stakeholders • Document now complied on the options for service delivery NB : SERVICES INTEGRATED INTO THE HEALTH SYSTEM
TRAINING OF HEALTH WORKERS ON SIGN LANGUAGE • Need to facilitate access to health services by Deaf persons • DOH initiated training for health workers in provinces on sign language with focus on “health” related vocabulary. • Provinces now exploring initiatives to roll-out training to health workers. • Definite projects in KZN & Free State involving NGO partnerships.
CHALLENGES HUMAN RESOURCES • Community Services – significant access to services especially in rural areas • HOWEVER – very poor recruitment & retention of rehabilitation personnel • Remuneration • Conditions of service • Career development
CHALLENGES (contd) BUDGET • No dedicated budget for service, development, assistive devices • Funding allocation fails to reflect services at different levels of care • Linked to lack of priority of the programme, generally • Poor budgeting results in services which are not sustainable
CONCLUSION • Significant progress in one or more aspect in all provinces. • Access has been created to services for the first time. • Sustainable service delivery can only be facilitated through: • Enhanced priority and budgeting at provincial and district levels • Link to key programmes incl HIV and AIDS and MCWH • Specified recruitment and retention policies • Alignment to national rehabilitation & related policy, UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities