Monrovia – The outbreak of the deadly coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the country and the subsequent health regulations have heightened difficulties for people living with disabilities, which some of them say might hinder their ability to comply with preventive measures instituted by government.
Report By Willie N. Tokpah, [email protected]
The physically challenged were already pressed with numerous health and social welfare challenges when COVID-19 erupted normal life in the country, and many are complaining that the preventive health regulations have since added to their problems.
Some members of the community who spoke with FrontPage Africa recently cited limited access to water supply, and lack of medication and food as being a few of the pressing needs that continue to hinder them from effectively adhering to preventive health regulations put in place by health authorities.
Meanwhile, other members of the community mentioned the lack of disabled-specific Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials on COVID-19, including audio messages for the visually impaired, and pictures or images for those with hearing deficiencies. Others said they face challenges in being able to safely self-isolate or observe physical distancing or quarantine measures, because they need help from caregivers.
Liberia announced its first confirmed case of COVID-19 on March 16, 2020 – which was soon followed by a three-week State of Emergency announced by President George Manneh Weah, which came into effect April 10, 2020.
Since then, the National Legislature approved the State of Emergency declared by President Weah and extended it to 60 days instead of the original 21 days.
Since the pronouncement of the State of Emergency, the disabled community said they can no longer access needed services, noting that this might put them at greater risk of contracting COVID-19 if action is not taken immediately.
Victor Wilson is the President of the Mission of Hope for the Disabled people in Johnsonville, lower Montserrado County. He says his mission is currently experiencing a lack of medical supplies, Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), limited access to water supply for hand washing and lack of disinfectants.
Mr. Wilson also said the lack of food remains a concern, and might force self-quarantine, in order to seek needed assistance from caregivers.
“We do not have our own hand-pump for water supply,” Wilson explains, “and our people who go to the general hand-pump for water do not get sufficient water for drinking and handwashing because people continue to take advantage of their condition and deny them their turn to draw.”
Barriers faced by Physically Challenged
He further stated that physically challenged persons at the mission are faced with difficulties in using the faucet-bucket due to their conditions, which prevents them from effectively practicing handwashing safety measures instituted by the Ministry of Health.
“Some people are unable to set their hands properly to where the water flows from the faucet, so they are unable to wash their hands properly,” he adds. “Some will have to move on their hands after washing the same hands, or hold on to other surfaces to move or get into their wheelchairs.”
Wilson lamented further, “If we can be able to get alcoholic sanitizers that each can use on a daily basis, it will help them prevent the disease as well, because after touching any surface, they could use the sanitizer immediately.”
Wilson mentioned a clinic in his organization’s compound, but says the healthcare providers there have not been trained to effectively detect COVID-19 cases, and they lack PPEs and medical supplies to cater to any severe medical complications.
“Our nurses need regular updates from the Ministry of Health; they need medical supplies, PPEs and training on how to handle any emergency case that might arise.”
He further intoned, “The implementation of social distancing measure is difficult, because some might need the assistance of others to move around the compound and there is no testing kit at the clinic to know the status of disables.”
These and other factors, he said, have caused some nurses at the health facility to be afraid to show up for work, since the announcement of the first COVID-19 case in the country.
The Mission of Hope for the Disabled President lamented that disabled people at the mission are gravely vulnerable due to hash economic conditions facing them, stating that they might no longer be able to heed the social distancing mandate, and may be constrained to go into the street to fetch for daily meals from humanitarians and goodwill people.
“We were highly depending on aid when this pandemic erupted abruptly,” Mr. Wilson explained. “So all disabled in our compound are gravely affected. We are depending on one or two offices for support; but the man who we might send to beg for our needs may eventually become symptomatic and might likely infect all of us unknowingly.”
He went on, “We are not allowing anyone to go out at the moment, because if they go out and contract the disease, definitely, the entire compound will be infected by the virus – but if these urgent needs such as food, water supply, medication and PPEs are not provided, it will compel us to get into the streets.”
Mr. Wilson further explained that, among the disabled community, young people seem to be the least informed of the virus, and are holding onto denial despite self-awareness exercises being initiated by authorities at the mission.
“This is because most of the older ones who have smartphones sometime access the internet when they have data,” he explains, “and listen to radio for information on the disease, while the younger ones do not have.”
“The younger ones do not know the gravity at which the disease affects people and how terrible it is. They are taking it for some ordinary disease for which they are not in school. But we have resolved to keep everyone in the yard,” he added.
Like the Mission of Hope for the Disabled, another foundation for the physically challenged – the Jerry Cibulski African Disability Foundation, which serves 122 persons including Deaf & Dumb, Physically Challenged and Visually Impaired – shares similar challenges; but the leadership of the foundation attributes their plight to the lack of support from donors since the global coronavirus outbreak.
One of the foundation’s coordinators in Liberia, Matthew O. Nyumah, said despite few handouts from some goodwill individuals, 122 disabled people in Montserrado, Margibi and Bomi counties are now unable to access necessary health care, medication, food, and sanitary materials, due to the new restrictions.
“We are challenged with mobile phones in getting to all our people in Montserrado, Margibi and Bomi,” Nyumah explains, “and most especially, the quarantine and stay-home measures made it impossible to communicate awareness messages to them [in person].”
Challenges for Those with Health Complications
Of the 122 persons living with disabilities who are supported by the foundation, Nyumah said 27 are people with medical complications that are supposed to receive specialized care weekly.
But seeking medical attention, according to him, is now difficult for them because they seek healthcare services at medical centers that are a distance away from their homes. Now, he says, “we cannot reach these health facilities because of the lockdown and their distances.”
Apart from seeking medical attention, Nyumah stated that fetching water from public hand-pumps could expose such individuals to coming in contact with carriers of COVID-19. Therefore he believes accessibility to water supply is vital for them at this time.
“We do not have the kind of capacity to get the needed medical supplies, so we are asking for support during this crisis and most of our people are not informed about this disease because we are unable to reach them to spread awareness messages,” Nyumah maintained.
He added, “Children under the foundation might be badly affected due to the lack of these essential health needs.”
Difficulties for Visually Impaired
Nyumah also lamented difficulties being experienced by the visually impaired. He said the blind are especially challenged in usage of the handwashing buckets, due to difficulties in accessing them.
Mr. Nyumah continued that in fact, the visually impaired sometimes open the faucet and place their hands elsewhere, because there is no one to lead them to the bucket, due to social distancing mandate. Right after washing their hands, they have to hold on to other surfaces, which someone who might have been infected with the virus may have touched, while walking back.
He said there are people who are trained to communicate awareness messages with Deaf and Dumb at various places, but the stay-home deadline has made it impossible to reach them.
Nyumah is therefore calling on government and other humanitarian agencies to help the disabled with needed supplies during the State of Emergency, saying he wants the Ministry of Health and the National Public Health Institute of Liberia to train them in disseminating appropriate information on COVID-19 to disabled people at the foundation.
For his part, the Principal of the Liberia School for the Deaf in Brewerville, Rev. Joshua Sehkehporh, indicated that young children at the school who have parents were sent home as a means of avoiding congestion. However, he furthered that food, medicine and sanitary materials are urgent needs for the remaining ones still at the school.
Although he says there is a clinic nearby, Rev. Sehkehporh expressed concerns for the possibility of taking any of the disabled to the clinic during the lockdown hours, if any health problem should develop.
“Once it passes 3:00pm,” he explains, “getting the children at the nearby clinic will not be possible, so we also need medication for them at the school.”
He said some humanitarians have been assisting them with food and other needs since the start of the pandemic, lauding them for their gestures. However, he said there is still a need to have sufficient handwashing buckets to create an easy means for effectively carrying out the hand washing measures, as well as food and medication and sanitary supplies.
In the absence of these needs, he said the disabled people might likely take onto the streets to fetch these items for themselves, which might expose them to contacting infected people.
“If they get in contact with someone with the disease, they will also come back to infect others as well. We have so many fears because if this disease affects one of these disabled [individuals], it will [likely] extend to others,” he explained.
In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease, COVID-19, to be a pandemic, due to the speed and scale of transmission. WHO and public health authorities around the world are taking actions to contain the COVID-19 outbreak.
According to WHO, certain populations, such as persons living with disabilities, may be impacted more significantly by the COVID-19 pandemic and that such impact could be mitigated if simple actions and protective measures are taken by key stakeholders.