Among other benefits…
THE Ministry of Health has acquired a specially equipped motor vehicle to transport persons with disabilities who live in the city to Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH). As a consequence, the National Commission on Disability (NCD) will establish a register of such persons who are qualified and desirous of making use of the transportation.
The assistance is to facilitate movement of the patients to and from chronic disease clinics within the specified boundary which, due to a lack of adequate resources, is Greater Georgetown.
Chairman of the Guyana Council of Organisations for Persons with Disabilities, Mr. Leon Walcott, said they had approached Minister of Health, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy and raised transportation, among a number of issues.
Walcott said the proposed database will greatly assist disabled persons who have problems with mobility and must keep regular clinic appointments.
He pointed out that the register would have a number of benefits, including certain statistical data, a listing of the persons with disabilities in Guyana and a reference point for those who have to address public assistance matters.
“Public assistance is a sore point for some persons with disabilities, so this register should help us with that, to an extent,” Walcott said.
He said the recently enacted Disability Bill makes provisions for the register which is a start to other undertakings.
“The responses we have, so far, is encouraging and quite a number of people have called the organisation,” Walcott informed.
He said, after the first Friday in July, other moves will be made access the assistance intended for persons with disabilities, who are asked to contact the Council on telephone numbers 225-0495 or 226-2880 or the NCD on 226-4566.