PWDs in Mayuge demand accessibility in public facilities

MAYUGE | Disabled persons in Mayuge have tasked the district to explain why health facilities, schools, washrooms and markets in the are constructed without catering for their needs.

The persons with disabilities PWDs) are particularly angry that health centre beds, washrooms and other facilities in place that do not address the needs of the disabled people.

Access to convenience places like toilets and pit-latrines is one of the challenges faced by people with physical disabilities that limit mobility.

At Namatel Village in Buwaya Subcounty, the Nile Post where we found a family of five children but all born with disability.

Khadijah Ndibugeza, the elder daughter in the family, narrated to our reporter that the challenges they are going through are worst in accessing washrooms both at home and school.

Ms Florence Muvawala, head teacher of Namatale Primary School, told us that many of the available pit-latrines do not favour pupils with disabilities, which challenges many of them whenever they visit the convenience rooms.

Jessica Kanga, the nursing officer in the office of the Chief Administrative Officer, has attributed the cause to low funds received from the central government.

This is what has impacted an NGO, As One Ministries, in partnership with Hope Heaven, to donate wheelchairs to people with disabilities in the districts of Mayuge, Bugweri and Bugiri to ease their mobility.

While donating the wheelchairs John Paul Movene, director As One Ministries, asked the government officials more so the contractors always to consider putting ramps to ease mobility of people with disability.

People with physical disabilities face difficulties in their facilities and they generally have poorer health, lower educational achievements, fewer economic opportunities.

These challenges leave them facing higher rates of poverty than physically-abled or fully-mobile people due to lack of access to a range of services and in Uganda, according to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics in its 2016 Demographic and Health Survey.

The survey says PWDs represent 12.45 percent of the total population.