By Brivian Simiyu
Women with disabilities in Kwale county have expressed concerns over the poor state of service delivery in public hospitals.
They have called for a friendly working environment and facilities, especially in the maternity and newborn units.
The disabled women have complained of being mistreated by the medics who are very hostile during childbirth.
They have accused doctors and nurses of using abusive language and humiliating them whenever they give birth in hospitals.
Sanura Kururushi recounts her ordeal in 2018 while she had gone to give birth at Kikoneni Health Center in Lungalunga.
Empowerment session of women with disability on sexual reproductive rights and skills enhancement by This Ability Trust
Kururushi was forced to walk for long hours while in labor pain despite having challenges with her movement.
“I had difficulty in walking yet they asked me to walk until my second baby was ready to come out of the womb while in great pain,” said Kururushi.
She noted that hospitals with ramps should be friendly to the disabled people who use crutches to walk around the floor.
Further, she explained that critical services in a hospital should be stationed on the ground floor for easy access by the disabled.
“At Msambweni referral hospital, those people using wheelchairs find it difficult to get services on the upper floor,” said Kururushi.
Empowerment session of women with disability on sexual reproductive rights and skills enhancement by This Ability Trust
The PWDs also claim that the beds in public hospitals don’t favor them since they are usually raised.
Kururushi attested that pregnant women who are short in stature can’t reach the beds unless they get help.
“If you are ignored, you must shout for help from the nurse or use a temporary staircase because the beds are very high,” said Kururushi.
Access to contraceptives is also a big challenge to women who can’t hear because the medics do not listen to them.
Tawhida Salim who is the lead officer for Mama Siri model under This Ability Trust attributes it to lack of sign language interpreters in health facilities.
Mama Siri model lead officer Tawhida Salim addressing a group of disabled women at Kinondo social hall in Msambweni
“Deaf women can’t make their own decisions on family planning methods when they visit public hospitals,” said Salim.
Data registration of PWDs is another common problem cited in hospitals which don’t capture all signs of disability.
This Ability Trust project officer Veronica Akinyi emphasizes the inclusion of all specifics for PWDs during data collection.
“The registration of PWDs should be detailed based on the type of disability which can be physical, mental, or intellectual development,” said Akinyi.
Akinyi noted that already 35,000 PWDs have registered with them under the hesabika platform.
In a bid to address these challenges in hospitals, the government has been urged to adopt and implement a policy brief recommendation.
This policy advocates for the Sexual Reproductive and Health Rights (SRHR) of disabled women and girls and Gender Based Violence (GBV).
Training of health workers on the sexual reproductive rights of women with disability is another area that has been highlighted in the document.
Firdaus Bilal who is a nurse at Msambweni referral hospital says that the training should be included in the curriculum.
Empowerment session of women with disability on sexual reproductive rights and skills enhancement by This Ability Trust
“We want the government to add more courses in medical schools to teach how to deal with people who are abled differently in hospitals,” said Bilal.
She spoke during an empowerment session of the grassroots women with disability in the Kinondo area in the Msambweni sub-county.
The session brought together disabled women following the launch of the policy brief program by Disability Trust.
The program will be implemented in 13 counties across the country including Kwale, Mombasa, and Kilifi in the Coast region.
