Hearing, speech impaired persons better sensitised to health programmes

In an effort to provide equal access to healthcare for persons with hearing and speech impairments, the Ministry of Health has conducted a sensitisation initiative to bring awareness to the various health programmes being implemented by the ministry.

The exercise was facilitated by the ministry’s Maternal and Child Health Department at the Grand Coastal Hotel, Saturday last.

Through hand signing and other means of communication, persons were lectured on the routine immunisation programme, the COVID-19 and booster vaccines, along with the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines.

Maternal and Child Health Officer, Dr. Oneka Scott disclosed that the initiative will be done in three phases, with the first being to educate persons on the benefits of the vaccines.

The other sessions consist of advancing engagements with hearing and speech-impaired adolescents and developing vaccine promotional content with the use of sign language.

Dr. Scott pointed out that health literacy plays an important role in the choices people make and noted that the activity will improve one’s approach to health.

In an effort to continue to deliver accessible and quality healthcare to its citizens, the Government of Guyana, through the health ministry conducted a series of COVID-19 drive-through vaccination exercises, while several outreaches are ongoing to increase the number of administered vaccines for HPV.

Similar campaigns are being done for yellow fever, Hepatitis B, measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), and tetanus, amongst many others.

Although the World Health Organisation (WHO) recently announced that COVID is no longer a public health emergency, Minister Dr. Frank Anthony has since encouraged Guyanese to remain vigilant and continue to take precautions.

The sum of $84.9 million was allotted for the healthcare sector in this year’s budget.