PROVISION OF ACCESS FOR PERSONS WITH DISABLILITY IN SELECTED HOSPITAL BUILDINGS IN GHANA  

Danso A.K. PhD

Owusu-Ansah F.E. PhD

Edusei A.K. PhD

Introduction.

• Health care is a basis and fundamental right of every individual, particularly for PWDs (UN, 2006) as enshrined in the UNCRPD.

• Since the 1970’s WHO has estimated the global prevalence rate of disability as 10.0% (WHO, 1981), but the current global situation, where including children, over a billion people (or about 15% of the world’s population) are estimated to be living with disability is rather alarming (WHO, 2011).

• Ghana Disability Act 715 enjoins all physical structural developers to make provisions for easy access to the chronically ill and persons with disability.

• These provisions cover public buildings and places of employment, and require any person providing such premises to make provisions for reasonable and practicable access, parking and sanitary appliances to meet the needs of persons with disability.

• The British Standard 8300 (2001), provides guidance on good practice in the design of domestic and non-domestic buildings and their approaches , so that they are convenient to be used by persons with disability.

• However, it appears that public buildings, including hospitals are constructed without making them fully accessible by persons with disability.

Study Objective

• This study therefore carried out to assess the provisions made for access for persons with disability in some selected hospitals in Ghana.

Methods

• A simple random sampling method was used for the selection of three regional hospitals; Central Region (Cape Coast, Volta Region (Ho), and Brong Ahafo Region (Sunyani) :

• Observations• Questionnaires• Physical measurements• Photographs• Interviews

• Critical observations were made for the presence or absence of all facilities provided in the selected regional hospitals for the People with Disabilities

• Questionnaires were distributed to target groups concerned with the study. The targeted groups included the professionals who designed and supervised the construction of the public buildings and the President of Ghana Society of the Physically Disabled (GSPD).

• Interviews were conducted with some design professionals and the stakeholders.

• For the purposes of illustration photographs were taken of relevant facilities

• The relevant facilities in these places were inspected with particular reference to certain parts such as:

• Entrances • Corridors and passageways• Parking areas • Bathrooms and washrooms• Staircases• Ramps • Access routes• Electrical installations

Results and Discussions

• Main Entrance• Apart from the door width which is to

standard, availability of other facilities which make access easy are below average. Predominant is the presence of ramps which is one of the most essential facilities every hospital should have at all entrances.

CAPE COAST HO SUNYANI

ENTRANCES % % %Availability of stairs/steps 9 20 29Availability of ramps 18 80 29Availability of signage 91 100 14Adequate door width 100 100 100RAMPSAvailability of ramps 18 80 10Adequate width 100 100 100Adequate length 100 100 -Non-slippery surface finish 100 100 100STAIRCASEAppropriate number of steps per flight 100 100 100Adequate width 100 100 100Adequate goings 100 100 100Adequate risers 100 100 0Adequate height of handrails 100 100 0Non-slippery surface finish 100 100 100LIFT INSTALLATIONAvailability of lift 9 0 0Functionality of lift 0 - -Adequate size of lift 100 - -CORRIDORS AND PASSAGEWAYSAdequate width 100 100 100Availability of signage 73 100 -Non-slippery floor finish 100 100 -Change in slope 0 0 -DOORSAdequate width 100 100 75BATHROOMS /WASHROOMSAdequate height of WC 100 100 0Adequate height of sink 100 100 0Adequate height of mirror 0 0 0Adequate grab rail 0 20 -Adequate shower control height 100 - -Adequate urinal rim height 0 0 0Non-slippery floor 100 100 -RECEPTION AREAAdequate height of desk 100 100 0Availability of space 100 100 87.5PUBLIC TELEPHONESAvailability of booth 100 20 100Height of telephone receiver 0 0 0Availability of support grab 0 0 25Availability of seat for the disabled 0 0 50ELECTRICAL INSTALLATIONSAdequate height of socket outlet 0 0 100Adequate height of switches 0 0 0CAR PARKClose proximity to entrance 100 0 100Availability of shelter - 100 -appropriate finish material(Non-slippery) - 100 -PATHWAYS/ACCESS ROUTESAdequate width 100 100 100Non-slippery surfaces 100 100 100

Table 3.1.2 Percent realization of Access facilities at the Cape Coast, Ho and Sunyani Regional Hospitals

• Ramps• Though ramps were not enough in the health

facilities studied, the dimensions and gradients of the few studied were up to standard.

•  Staircase• Generally, the staircases with its features

provided in the hospitals were up to standard except for the Sunyani Hospital where the height of handrails and risers of the stairs were inappropriate

• Lift installation• Absence of lifts in most of the hospitals will

make movement very difficult if not impossible for the disabled especially wheel chair users. The only lift present in the Cape Coast Hospital was not functioning.

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• Corridors and Passageways• By all standards, the corridors and

passageways provided in the Hospitals are adequate to serve the interest of both the disabled and able patients.

• Bathrooms and Washrooms• The bathrooms/washrooms of the Sunyani

Hospital is in no way friendly to the persons with disability. The sanitary appliances have unfriendly heights and sizes. However, the Ho and Cape Coast were friendlier with respect to the sanitary appliances.

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• Reception Area• The reception areas of the hospitals are all

disable friendly except for the Sunyani which has a relatively high desk at the reception making it disabled unfriendly.

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• Public telephone• Apart from the Ho Hospital which has a

very limited number of public telephones provided, all the other hospitals have public telephones adequately provided. Inspite of these provisions made, the telephone posts are not friendly to the disabled due to the height of the telephone receivers, absence of support grabs and seats for the disabled. The Sunyani Hospital is better equipped in the provision of telephone facilities for the disabled.

• Electrical Installations• The electrical sockets and switches

provided in the hospitals will be inaccessible by some disabled patients due their heights from the ground level. The Sunyani Hospital has sockets which may be accessible but the light switches are also at an unfriendly height from the ground

• Car Park• The proximity of the car parks provided at

the Sunyani and Cape Coast hospitals to the main entrances of the hospitals were reasonably good since they were within reach under five minutes of walking, except for the Ho Hospital which would require walking for over ten minutes to enter the hospital.

• Pathways/Access Routes• The pathways and access routes in these

hospitals are adequate with respect to width. They are not slippery making it safe and easier for usage by all.

Conclusions

• The design and construction of the hospitals generally do not permit easy access for Persons with Disability in Ghana.

• This situation provides a serious barrier to the utilization of the hospitals by persons with disability, since they do not find it comfortable using them.

Recommendation

• Strict adherence to the existing regulations regarding construction of all building should therefore be enforced.

References• British Standard 8300 (2001) Design of

Buildings and Their Approaches to Meet the Needs of Disabled People-Code of Practice ISBN 0 580 38438 1.

• Ghana Disability Bill (2007) [http://www.irlgov.ie/bills28/bills/2001/6801/default.htm] (Accessed on 6th July, 2011)

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References cont’d.

• UN (2006). United Nations. Enable Development. Development and human rights for all. Available from: http://un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id=150 (Accessed on 6th July, 2011)

• Disability prevention and rehabilitation: report of the WHO expert committee on disability prevention and rehabilitation. Geneva, World Health Organization, 1981 (Technical Report Series 668) (http://whqlibdoc.who.int/trs/WHO_TRS_668.pdf, accessed 9 December 2009).

• WHO (2011). WHO World Report on Disability, 2011. Available from: http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2011/9789240685215_eng.pdf (Accessed on: 7th July, 2011)

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