ACCESS TO SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH SERVICES BY PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES: A CASE STUDY OF THE GARU –TEMPANE DISTRICT OF GHANA

Abstract

The World Health Organization in 2009 extrapolates that 10% of the world’s population representing 650 million people live with some form of disability. The Ghana Statistical Survey report in 2012 revealed that over 700 thousand people live with disability in Ghana. The findings of Groce in 2014 and the World Health Organization earlier in 2009 show that persons with disabilities in developing countries are plagued with limited access to sexual and reproductive health information and general health literacy. The situation of Ghana is a major concern in the face of limited research data on disability and access to services. In Northern Ghana poverty is endemic and persons with disabilities are among the poorest of the poor according to the 2014 Ghana Living Standard Survey report. Anecdotal evidence suggest that persons with disabilities constitute a significant number in Northern Ghana particularly in the study area ; yet no effort has been made to segment the disability population for effective delivery of services taking into cognizance their peculiarities. The main objective of the study was to investigate the access to sexual and reproductive health services by persons with disabilities in the Garu-Tempane District. Data was collected using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methodologies. These included health facility observation, interviews with persons with disabilities exiting from reproductive health facilities, key informant interviews with service providers, focus group discussions with specific disability groups and the use of the mystery client approach to explore the attitudes of service providers and other service users. In all, 56 health facilities, 21 service providers and 141 persons with disabilities were contacted for data. The study established that demographic variables such as age, gender, disability, marital status and religion influence the accessibility of reproductive health services by persons with disabilities in the study area. It was further discovered that access to reproductive health services by persons with disabilities were limited by systems factors including poor service delivery and lack of appropriate health services tailored to meet their needs. Also, economic, social and psychological factors were identified including lack of familial support, stigma and discrimination as barrier to access. Based on the findings, some recommendations have been proffered to improve the accessibility of reproductive health services by persons with disabilities.