A child-focused organization, Pumpkins Foundation, is calling on policy makers to prioritize public education on Cerebral Palsy as it joined the global community celebrate World Cerebral Palsy (CP) Day.
The foundation noted that despite the numerous negative attitudes towards persons with cerebral palsy, only a few attempts have been made to understand the experiences of persons with cerebral palsy globally.
It is on this basis that the Pumpkins Foundation has stressed “the need for health policymakers in Ghana to prioritize the public education of Cerebral Palsy to reduce the pervasive and gendered stigmatization”.
“In Ghana, the stigma of childhood disability is often associated with women’s role in child bearing and nurturing. Also very common is stigma among family members with a child with Cerebral Palsy and fueled by traditional beliefs, resulting in isolation and societal rejection”, a statement from the foundation stated.
According to them, World CP Day therefore, provides an opportunity to celebrate, raise awareness and take action to ensure that persons with CP have the same rights, access and opportunities as anyone else in their communities.
Executive Director of the foundation, Baisiwa Dowouna-Hammond, said that the as part of activities to celebrate ten years of impacting lives, Pumpkins Foundation urges improvement in the quality of care for child CP patients with a continuous call for efforts to ensure their inclusion in every aspect of society.
She also expressed the foundation’s preparedness to partner with relevant authorities and stakeholders in an effort to making physiotherapy free and easily accessible for all children living with the condition – a gesture that will lessen the financial burden on affected families.
Again, she remindered the Ministries of Health, Gender, Children and Social Protection as well as the Ghana Education Service of their commitment to an all-inclusive programme for all children including those living with Cerebral Palsy.
Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a non-progressive disorder of posture or movement caused by a lesion to the developing brain that results in functional limitations.
The diagnosis of CP can vary from one child to another, causing family stress because of vague and unknown outcomes of the disorder.
It has no cure. Around the world, Cerebral Palsy affects some 17 million people.
