Original Research

Attitudes of health service providers: the perspective of Persons with Disabilities in the Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana

Eric Badu, Maxwell P. Opoku, Seth C.Y. Appiah
African Journal of Disability | Vol 5, No 1 | a181 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/ajod.v5i1.181 | © 2016 Eric Badu, Maxwell P. Opoku, Seth C.Y. Appiah | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 14 January 2015 | Published: 16 August 2016

About the author(s)

Eric Badu, Department of Community Health, Center for Disability and Rehabilitation Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana
Maxwell P. Opoku, Department of Community Health, Center for Disability and Rehabilitation Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana
Seth C.Y. Appiah, Department of Sociology and Social Work, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana

Abstract

Introduction: Awareness of disability issues has gained considerable interest by advocacy groups in recent years. However, it is uncertain whether attitudes and perceptions of all service providers and society have adjusted accordingly towards the health care of people with disabilities. This study sought to examine the attitudes of health providers from the perspective of people with disabilities in the Kumasi Metropolis.
Methods: A cross-sectional study using semi-structured questionnaires was conducted with people with disabilities (with physical, hearing and visual impairments,) in the Kumasi Metropolis. The study used a multi-stage sampling involving cluster and simple random sampling to select 255 respondents split amongst the following five clusters of communities; Oforikrom, Subin, Asewase, Tafo and Asokwa. Data were analysed using STATA 14 and presented in descriptive and inferential statistics.
Results: The study found that 71% of the respondents faced some form of discrimination including the use of derogatory remarks, frustration and unavailable required services on the basis of their disability, the type of services they need and the location. Women were 3.89 times more likely to face discrimination; Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 3.89 (95% confidence interval [CI]; 1.41, 10.76), and visually impaired was more likely to be discriminated at the facility compared with physical disability; AOR = 5.05 (95% CI; 1.44, 17.65). However, respondents with some educational qualification and those who stayed with their family members were less likely to face discrimination; AOR = 0.08 (95% CI; 0.01, 0.39).
Conclusion: The study recommends the provision of in-service training for service providers to update their knowledge on disability issues and improve access to services for people with disabilities.

Keywords

Persons with Disabilities; Discrimination; Kumasi Metropolis; Attitudes

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