Organization: Lonibu Health Development Foundation
Project title: Hearing Impairment Act Domestication in Healthcare Delivery – Policy Dialogue & Legislation Drafting
Primary region: AFR
Country: Nigeria
Event Description:
We have planned an urgently needed policy dialogue and legislation drafting featuring policymakers, healthcare workers and deaf people to collectively draft, implement and adopt the “Hearing Impairment Act in Healthcare Delivery” and inaugurate the accountability committee for the sustainable follow-up of post-event implementation. Our 2025 WHD event seeks to complete the accomplishment of our WHD 2024 target of addressing communication barriers and discrimination between healthcare providers and deaf patients leading to increased hospital absenteeism and self-medication among deaf people in Zamfara state. This policy will mandate the establishment of special units with sign language interpreters at hospitals in Zamfara and integrate the salaries of the sign language interpreters into the state’s payroll system, to aid the doctor-patient communication among healthcare providers and deaf patients and sustain the employment of the sign language interpreters, ensuring every deaf person in Zamfara does not face stigma and has access to quality healthcare services.
Submitter: Musa Ibrahim