By Priscilla Oye Ofori
Accra, May 15, GNA—The Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations (GFD) has commended the Ghana Health Service (GHS) for issuing a decisive directive to Regional Directors to strengthened disability-friendly services across health facilities nationwide.
It said the GHS issued the internal directive following strategic engagement with GFD and the National Council on Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), marking a significant advancement in disability inclusion within the health sector.
A statement signed by Mr Joseph Atsu Homadzi, National President of GFD, and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra, said the GFD particularly applauded the specific commitments in the directive which were to establish functional disability service structures within hospitals and activate institutional Social Welfare offices in regional and district hospitals immediately.
The rest are to incorporate disability inclusion indicators into the Peer Review assessment framework and train regional and district disability focal persons to enhance their effectiveness.
It said the directive firmly grounded those requirements in Section 3 of the Disability Act (Act 715), demonstrating GHS’s commitment to transform health care accessibility from aspiration to measurable action.
The statement said the initiative advanced both accessibility and affirmed the fundamental rights of PWDs, aligning with Ghana’s constitutional obligations and international commitments to inclusive development.
‘‘As Ghana’s leading disability advocacy organisation, GFD pledges its partnership with GHS to support implementation, track outcomes, and ensure comprehensive health equity for all persons with disabilities. We urge regional and district health authorities, healthcare professionals, and development partners to embrace this initiative wholeheartedly. Through collective action, we will build a health system that embodies inclusivity, responsiveness and equity,” it said.
The Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations (GFD) is the national umbrella organisation of Persons with Disabilities in Ghana.
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