VDI Urges Kwara Govt to Set Up Disability Commission, Decries Neglect in Health Sector
The Voice of Disability Initiative (VDI) has called on the Kwara State Government to establish a State Disability Commission to address the lingering challenges faced by persons with disabilities, particularly in the health sector.
Speaking in Ilorin during an interactive session with healthcare professionals on disability-inclusive sexual and reproductive health services, VDI Executive Director, Mrs. Catherine Edeh, emphasised the urgent need for institutional frameworks that will protect and promote the rights of vulnerable individuals.
Represented by the organisation’s Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Mr. Edward Ogidi, Edeh stated that vulnerable groups, especially those living with disabilities, continue to suffer neglect in healthcare delivery.
“Many hospitals and healthcare providers do not treat persons with disabilities with the attention and respect they deserve. This situation must change. Establishing a Disability Commission in Kwara State will ensure that their concerns are addressed structurally,” she said.
She also revealed that VDI has, over the past two years, empowered persons with disabilities in the state through various support programmes worth over seven million naira aimed at improving their standard of living.
According to her, the interactive session with health professionals was designed to enhance their capacity to deliver inclusive and rights-based healthcare, while also fostering positive communication between providers and patients with disabilities.
Also speaking at the event, the Kwara State Focal Person for VDI, Dr. Oyelakin Ogungbade, commended Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for the inclusive approach his administration has adopted so far. However, he insisted that more structured efforts were still needed.
“No contribution is too small when it comes to tackling the issues confronting persons with disabilities. No one should be made to suffer simply because of the way they were created,” Ogungbade said.
He pointed out that people living with disabilities face different kinds of impairments and challenges, especially from medical personnel who often lack proper training in inclusive service delivery.
The State Chairman of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities, Mr. Adebayo Gbadamosi, also lent his voice in support of the initiative, describing the programme as timely and impactful.
“Our members have experienced different forms of discrimination in the healthcare system. This type of training is a step in the right direction. It gives us hope that the system can become more accommodating,” Gbadamosi said.
The event served as a platform to highlight the need for inclusive healthcare services and to reinforce the rights of persons with disabilities to equitable treatment across all sectors, especially in health.
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