The National Council on Persons with Disability has recommended that the government allocate a budget toward strategies that target persons with disabilities in the fight against COVID-19 in the country.

Ghana’s COVID-19 cases have shot up to 136 with three deaths.

The government has, as a result, placed a ban on all public gathering, as part of measures to prevent further spread of the virus.

In a statement released by the National Council on Persons with Disability, the Council, together with its stakeholders including the Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations (GFD), Mental Health Authority and Special Mothers Project, including other organisations of persons with disabilities commended the government for providing awareness and relevant information to the general public on COVID-19 and for providing sign language interpretation in “some of information dissemination sessions”.

According to the Council, although there has been a lot of awareness and communication targeting the general public on COVID-19, “much of the communication and information shared have not fully taken the peculiar needs of different categories of persons with disabilities who might equally need it as citizens of Ghana.

“Research has revealed that persons with disabilities including persons with auto-immune conditions wheelchair users, and severe impairments are most likely to have their immune system easily compromised.”

The Council stated that it believes “this finding puts persons with disabilities at high risk of being infected with COVID-19”.

The Council further noted that in its recent dialogue with President Akufo-Addo on how to ensure the safety and security of persons with disabilities during this coronavirus epidemic, it recommended that “there must be budgetary allocation towards strategies that target persons with disabilities in the eradication of COVID-19, relief funds to ease the financial implication of the COVID-19 pandemic on persons with disabilities and their caregivers including personal assistants” and “budgetary allocation for effective education and sensitisation of persons with disabilities.”