In a major step toward achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC), the Gomoa West District Health Directorate has partnered with KEBA Africa (also known as Am Aware Ghana) to host a groundbreaking capacity-building training on disability-inclusive healthcare.
The landmark event, held on June 16, 2026, took place at St. Luke’s Catholic Hospital in Apam – the district’s sole referral facility.
The initiative was spearheaded by Ms. Gifty Akosua Adzigbey, a Public Health Nurse, District Disability Focal Person, Mandela Washington Fellow, and passionate disability and social inclusion advocate.
The training brought together a diverse, multidisciplinary assembly of healthcare professionals and community members to tackle the systemic, physical, and attitudinal barriers faced by Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) when seeking medical care.
The training saw active participation from across the clinical spectrum, including nurses, midwives, laboratory officers, emergency specialists, mental health officers, records staff, and hospital administrators.
Crucially, community volunteers living with disabilities sat alongside these professionals, representing various health centres and Community-Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) zones in the Apam sub-district.
To measure the impact of the session, organisers conducted pre- and post-tests evaluating participants’ knowledge of disability rights, national and international disability laws, policies, and the daily challenges experienced by both healthcare providers and PWDs.
Rather than relying solely on theory, the training featured interactive, real-life role-play scenarios. Healthcare workers and PWD volunteers simulated patient journeys through various hospital departments, including:
• Patient records and registration
• Outpatient Department (OPD) consultations
• Antenatal Care (ANC) and Child Welfare Clinics (CWC)
• Emergency and trauma care units
These hands-on simulations allowed staff to directly experience the communication gaps, physical obstacles, and systemic delays that PWDs encounter daily, leading to immediate, practical discussions on how to adapt standard operating procedures.
During a highly engaging plenary session, healthcare providers and PWDs openly exchanged lived experiences, co-creating immediate solutions to make the hospital’s services more accessible and welcoming.
The training concluded with a powerful pledge: health workers and volunteers formally committed to becoming “ambassadors for disability-inclusive healthcare,” promising to spread awareness within their respective wards, communities, churches, schools, and local durbars.
Highlighting the long-term strategic goals of the district, the Gomoa West District Director of Health Services, Dr. Maxwell Yeboah Kyereh, emphasised that this training is only the beginning.
“Our vision is to scale up and systematically extend this training across all zones,” Dr. Kyereh declared. “We will not stop until Gomoa West becomes Ghana’s leading district in disability-inclusive healthcare.”
By equipping frontline health workers with the skills and empathy needed to serve diverse populations, Gomoa West is translating the global mantra of “Leaving No One Behind” into a tangible, lifesaving reality.
As the organisers noted, the ultimate goal is simple: to ensure that no person with a disability in the district has to suffer in silence.
SOURCE: DisabilityNewsGH.com
