People with disabilities demand sign language interpreters in hospitals

People with hearing disabilities have tasked the Ministry of Health to deploy health workers who can interpret sign language to facilitate communication.

Joseph Akoli, founder and team leader of Diversity Innovations Initiative, a youth-led organization, said many people with hearing impairments lack adequate health care due to the language barrier.

“Sometimes they (hearing-impaired people) may have a health condition that they want to explain directly to the health worker without involving a third party. But, unfortunately, I have not found any health center with such health personnel,” Akoli said through an interpreter.

He made these remarks at the Uganda National Social Innovation in Health stakeholder workshop organized by Makerere University in association with the Swedish Embassy in Kampala on Tuesday.

Akoli tasked the government to introduce integration of sign language in the pre-service training of healthcare workers.

He revealed that the Diversity Innovations Initiative had partnered with the Naguru Adolescent Center and the Mukono Diocese School of Nursing and Midwifery to train more than 100 health workers in sign language, out of the 500 doctors aim.

Akoli also noted that they have developed a diverse digital application to facilitate access to information on sexual and reproductive health among adolescents and young people with hearing disabilities.

When contacted, Health Ministry spokesperson Emmanuel Ainebyoona said the government had already embarked on the process of recruiting sign language interpreters at public health centres.

“The position is in the newly approved hospital structures, just pending the availability of salaries,” Mr Ainebyoona said yesterday.

Ms. Joy Edith Angulo, former gender, youth, adolescence and social inclusion advisor of the Family Health International partnership with KCCA, said: “Many times, they cannot have quality services due to language barriers. I think, just like some hospitals have social workers, it would be great if we at least had interpreters, starting with the highest volume facilities of hospitals and health centers.”

Dr Phyllis Awor, a professor at Makerere University School of Public Health, who also leads the social health innovation initiative project, said research indicates that people with disabilities are among the vulnerable groups with poor health indicators.

“We recommend that our Ministry of Health and other parties not leave behind the issue of gender, disability and social division. We must find ways to support these disadvantaged groups,” he stated.

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