Abstract
(1) Background: Globally, persons with disabilities (PWDs) face numerous challenges including access to healthcare. This scoping review sought to assess the level of inclusiveness in Ghanaian health policies and reports for PWDs; (2) Methods: An extensive search and scoping review of health policies/reports in Ghanaian government websites and Google was conducted. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines for scoping reviews were followed in selecting and reporting the policies/reports. The program evaluation and policy design framework was employed for content analysis; (3) Results: Fifteen policies and reports with political recognition, objectives, and specific resources needed to execute stipulated plans were included. Although these policies and reports had collaborative partnerships with various institutions and organisations in development and implementation plans, the level of inclusiveness of disability issues was very low. Only eight out of the fifteen policies/reports (53%) reviewed considered PWDs, indicating a low level of inclusion. The definition of disability was also limited.; (4) Conclusions: To achieve the sustainable development goal of ‘leaving no one behind’ in line with the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Right of Persons with Disabilities and the Disability Act 715 of Ghana, it is recommended that subsequent health policies should have an in-depth engagement with PWDs from the conceptual design stage right through to implementation and evaluation.
Highlights
Out of approximately one billion individuals worldwide with various types of disabilities, 190 million face substantial challenges in carrying out their regular tasks [1,2,3].persons with disabilities (PWDs) are defined as “those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others” [4](p. 4)
From the 15 policies/reports reviewed, the National Survey of Adolescents (NSA) was the only document that did not show any evidence of political recognition
Political recognition in the 14 documents were indicated by government officials or, in some cases, the relevant minister signing the documents
Summary
Out of approximately one billion individuals worldwide with various types of disabilities, 190 million face substantial challenges in carrying out their regular tasks [1,2,3].persons with disabilities (PWDs) are defined as “those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others” [4](p. 4). Out of approximately one billion individuals worldwide with various types of disabilities, 190 million face substantial challenges in carrying out their regular tasks [1,2,3]. The number of PWDS is rising, partly due to the ageing population and the rise in chronic health conditions [3]. The prevalence of disability in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is higher than in high-income nations and was predicted to be between. 10% and 15% of the total population (400 million people) in LMICs [1,2]. Eighty million of these people live in Africa. In Ghana, PWDs account for three percent (3.7%) of the population [5]
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