The Hon. (Dr.) Hansaka Wijemuni - Deputy Minister of Health

¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, I am providing the reply on behalf of the Minister of Health and Mass Media.

¶ 02 (a) - Improving accessibility within the hospital system. - Upgrading sanitary facilities for persons with disabilities. - Ensuring all necessary medical facilities and medicines for persons with disabilities are provided by hospitals. - Enhancing rehabilitation units and required facilities. - Strengthening facilities in hospitals to manufacture assistive devices through prosthetics and orthotics services. - Establishing an information centre for persons with disabilities who attend clinics. - Reserving a set number of priority tokens each day for persons with disabilities when issuing clinic numbers. - Improving clinic facilities so that wheelchair users and those using assistive devices can access clinics, wards and other units. - Delivering all clinic messages and information via audio and visual media, and commencing staff training to communicate with persons with hearing and visual impairments.

¶ 03 (b) - There is no specialized standardized mechanism currently in health institutions to identify persons with disabilities at the point of access; however, instructions have been issued to act appropriately depending on circumstances. - To provide priority, measures are being planned such as: - Opening a dedicated pharmacy counter for them; - Providing an easily reachable registration counter; - Establishing an internal counter/information desk in every hospital so they need not be redirected through multiple services.

¶ 04 - Providing sign language training to all hospital staff. (A separate programme is already underway for staff in the Western Province.) - Conducting awareness programmes for hospital officials on the needs of persons with disabilities, including events held in conjunction with the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. - Maintaining an ongoing training programme for nursing staff at the Colombo National Hospital Emergency Department. - Training staff (specialist doctors and medical officers). - Recruiting and training health staff for services to persons with disabilities, including physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, prosthetists and orthotists, and filling existing vacancies. - Recruiting and training staff to strengthen community rehabilitation. - Establishing rehabilitation units in all primary hospitals and providing necessary facilities.

¶ 05 - Improving facilities for the manufacture of assistive devices, obtaining tax concessions for imports, seeking regulatory support, and encouraging private sector participation in assistive device production. - Training and recruiting caregivers, encouraging services within the private care industry. - Enhancing treatment modalities for disability conditions.

¶ 06 Examples: scanners, gait lab.

¶ 07 - A financial assistance programme for medicines and medical tests for persons with disabilities is not operated by the Ministry of Health; such programmes are implemented by the National Secretariat for Persons with Disabilities under the Ministry of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment.

¶ 08 - Creating disabled-friendly environments in hospitals and health institutions. - Providing sign language training to hospital staff to support persons with hearing impairment. - Instructing relevant divisions to ensure all health messages are accessible to persons with audio and visual impairments (Health Promotion Bureau; Family Health Bureau). - Providing facilities in hospitals to manufacture and repair prosthetic and orthotic devices, wheelchairs and other equipment. - Upgrading rehabilitation units in all hospitals and providing required facilities/equipment.

¶ 09 (If not) Not applicable.