The Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) has advised the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) to build the capacity of health workers in Nigeria to enhance compliance with the Disability Act.

CCD programme officer, Peace Ezekiel, said since the NPHCDA played a pivotal role in the health sector, its contributions toward enhancing healthcare for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) could not be over-emphasised.

She spoke at the closing of training for 182 workers of NPHCDA on sections, provisions and penalties of the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities Prohibition Act, 2018.

She also appealed to NPHCDA to set an example for other healthcare agencies by using PWDs-friendly assistive devices to aid their access to its head office in Abuja.

Speaking, David Anyaele, the executive director of CDD, said the training was to build the capacities of relevant health stakeholders on the contents of the Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities Act.

Mr Anyaele, represented by Humphrey Ukeaja, CCD lead researcher, said the major challenge of health policy actors remained a lack of awareness of the law and its provisions.

“Based on the findings from our 2021 assessment of access to COVID-19 vaccines for PWDs.

“We discovered the challenges faced by social and health policy makers include but are not limited to lack of sufficient knowledge and scanty data of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).

“Also poor knowledge on the rights, needs and other issues of critical concerns to PWDs especially with regards to the national disability act.

“We can attribute this to poor engagement by government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) responsible for creating awareness and sensitising the public on the national disability law and its provisions,” he said.

(NAN)