WHO affirms support to person with disabilities

Muscat: The Ministry of Health (MoH) represented by the Disability Programmes Section (DPS) of the Department of Non-Communicable Disease (NCD), in collaboration with the WHO office in Oman, carried out the level four and five of the virtual sign language training programme on Sunday.  

The programme will continue until the end of December and is aimed at raising the communication level between people with hearing impairment and the medical and allied medical personnel at the primary health care.

Saleh Al Harbi, head of DPS highlighted the significance of being knowledgeable about sign language for a member of institutions, especially service institutions, in order to facilitate dealing with this important group of society.

Meanwhile, the WHO affirmed its continued support for the implementation of programmes targeting persons with disabilities in community, as they are essential in reducing barriers between persons with disability and healthcare providers.

The workshop aims at upgrading the accessibility level of health services to persons with disabilities, particularly hearing-impaired people, in addition to ensuring the equality of rights and responsibilities as per the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.