Date: 29/01/2004
Source: Ministry of Health
Title: Tshabalala-Msimang: Handing over assistive devices in Eastern Cape
MINISTER OF HEALTH, DR ME TSHABALALA-MSIMANG, SPEAKING AT THE ASSISTIVE DEVICES HANDING OVER CEREMONY IN EASTERN CAPE, 29 January 2004
Programme Director
MEC for Health, Dr Bevan Goqwana
His Worship, the Mayor
Acting Head of Department
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
All Protocols Observed
I greet you all.
Today's event is not only about handing over wheelchairs and hearing aids to the beneficiaries gathered here.
The focus is not on the quantity of devices that we are going to hand over.
This event is all about acknowledging that our National Health System has finally turned the corner with regard to services for people with disabilities.
Whereas in 1994 some provinces did not even have a budget for assistive devices, now it has become a permanent feature of the budget, a budget item that in many of our provinces is growing exponentially.
The African National Congress government has brought about this change in order to provide a better life for our people.
We are all aware of our government's commitment to improve the lives of people with disabilities. However, this will only become reality if we implement the many policies that we have put in place. As government, we are doing what society and international bodies expect of us.
The provision of assistive devices was recognised by the World Programme of Action as a critical element in the rehabilitation of people with disabilities. Indeed we agree with this position, hence our effort to make R13 million available for assistive devices in the current financial year. Another R13 million will be spent in the next financial year.
This is all part of the policy on free health care for disabled people at hospital level implemented on 1 July 2003. Through this project your province has received 545 wheelchairs and 454 hearing aids. This project only aims to address the backlog inherited from the past as provinces are addressing current needs.
This is one of the poorest provinces in the country, characterised by unemployment and reliant on state grants. It is a big enough challenge for non-disabled persons to find jobs in this province, and an even bigger challenge for disabled persons. We must remember, however, that we come from an era where disabled persons were excluded from education and any form of skills development.
When we introduced free health care for disabled persons on 1 July 2003 we prioritised assistive devices as one of the key elements of the programme. The reason for this is our conviction that assistive devices have the potential to change a person's circumstances drastically.
Being able to move around, or communicate, may be the one element required to open doors to learning or to employment. As part of rehabilitation a device can be a tool for the equalisation of opportunities for disabled persons.
The World Programme of Action formed the backbone of the United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons declared from 1983 to 1992. Its purpose was to promote effective measures for prevention of disability, rehabilitation and the realisation of the goals of full participation of people with disabilities in all spheres of life. This means opportunities equal to those of the whole population and an equal share in the improvement in living conditions resulting from social and economic development.
A study conducted by the Department of Health in 1997 and published in 1999 found that the use of assistive devices reduced the severity of a disability significantly. Without the use of an assistive device 67% of people with movement activity limitation reported their disability as severe. With the use of an assistive device only 8% of people with movement activity limitation reported their disability as severe. This is justification enough to focus on the provision of assistive devices as a strategic objective.
This study further found that only 37% of those who required the assistive devices service actually received it. Our aim now is to ensure that all who require this kind of service indeed receive it.
As a department we are committed to achieve all the health related aspects of the United Nations (UN) Standard Rules on the Equalisation of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities.
On assistive devices, Rule 4: Support Services, says 'states should ensure the provision of assistive devices and equipment, personal assistance and interpreter services, according to the needs of persons with disabilities, as important measures to achieve the equalization of opportunities.'
The first point that this rule makes is that it is the duty of the state to ensure the provision of assistive devices. Indeed this government is committed to deliver on this obligation. We also want to create the right environment for this to happen. It was in this spirit that we have published guidelines for the Standardisation of Provision of Assistive Devices in South Africa. These guidelines will ensure that the provision and maintenance of assistive devices is uniform throughout the country.
The second point is that the service should be provided according to the needs of persons with disabilities. This is important to keep in mind because persons with disabilities do not form a homogeneous group, but they each have their own specific needs. Very often the 'one size fits all' mentality displayed by some overseas donors does not help to address the real needs.
The third point is that to a number of persons with disabilities, equalisation of opportunities cannot happen without assistive devices. They need the devices to access educational, work and recreational facilities.
The UN Standard Rules are now ten years old. A review of the implementation of the rules by world bodies such as World Health Organisation (WHO) shows some lack of enthusiasm on the part of member countries to implement them. There is agreement that the reason behind this is the fact that the Rules do not have a force of law like a convention would have.
It is for this reason that as government we fully support the initiative taken by Disabled People's Organisations worldwide to have a Convention on the Rights of People With Disabilities. The UN Decade of Disabled Persons may not have achieved a lot of tangible results, but it sure did a lot for disability awareness worldwide.
But now is the time to go beyond awareness and focus on strategic projects. We must work together as South Africans, and as Africans to ensure that the African Decade of Disabled Persons currently underway achieves more than just awareness. Let us join hands and together heed the President's call to 'push back the frontiers of poverty.'
I think that this province serves as an example of what we can achieve if government and the disability sector work together as partners. We all agree that people with disabilities worldwide are amongst the poorest of the poor. They have been on the receiving end of oppression and discrimination for years. Some have been ridiculed and treated like minors for their whole lives.
I want to believe that as you receive these wheelchairs today you will make them part of your arsenal to go and explore. I dare you to believe in yourselves and see obstacles as challenges to be conquered. Let these devices open doors to a brighter future.
I thank you all.
Issued by: Ministry of Health, 29 January 2004
Source: Department of Health (http://www.doh.gov.za)
Source: Ministry of Health
Title: Tshabalala-Msimang: Handing over assistive devices in Eastern Cape
MINISTER OF HEALTH, DR ME TSHABALALA-MSIMANG, SPEAKING AT THE ASSISTIVE DEVICES HANDING OVER CEREMONY IN EASTERN CAPE, 29 January 2004
Programme Director
MEC for Health, Dr Bevan Goqwana
His Worship, the Mayor
Acting Head of Department
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
All Protocols Observed
I greet you all.
Today's event is not only about handing over wheelchairs and hearing aids to the beneficiaries gathered here.
The focus is not on the quantity of devices that we are going to hand over.
This event is all about acknowledging that our National Health System has finally turned the corner with regard to services for people with disabilities.
Whereas in 1994 some provinces did not even have a budget for assistive devices, now it has become a permanent feature of the budget, a budget item that in many of our provinces is growing exponentially.
The African National Congress government has brought about this change in order to provide a better life for our people.
We are all aware of our government's commitment to improve the lives of people with disabilities. However, this will only become reality if we implement the many policies that we have put in place. As government, we are doing what society and international bodies expect of us.
The provision of assistive devices was recognised by the World Programme of Action as a critical element in the rehabilitation of people with disabilities. Indeed we agree with this position, hence our effort to make R13 million available for assistive devices in the current financial year. Another R13 million will be spent in the next financial year.
This is all part of the policy on free health care for disabled people at hospital level implemented on 1 July 2003. Through this project your province has received 545 wheelchairs and 454 hearing aids. This project only aims to address the backlog inherited from the past as provinces are addressing current needs.
This is one of the poorest provinces in the country, characterised by unemployment and reliant on state grants. It is a big enough challenge for non-disabled persons to find jobs in this province, and an even bigger challenge for disabled persons. We must remember, however, that we come from an era where disabled persons were excluded from education and any form of skills development.
When we introduced free health care for disabled persons on 1 July 2003 we prioritised assistive devices as one of the key elements of the programme. The reason for this is our conviction that assistive devices have the potential to change a person's circumstances drastically.
Being able to move around, or communicate, may be the one element required to open doors to learning or to employment. As part of rehabilitation a device can be a tool for the equalisation of opportunities for disabled persons.
The World Programme of Action formed the backbone of the United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons declared from 1983 to 1992. Its purpose was to promote effective measures for prevention of disability, rehabilitation and the realisation of the goals of full participation of people with disabilities in all spheres of life. This means opportunities equal to those of the whole population and an equal share in the improvement in living conditions resulting from social and economic development.
A study conducted by the Department of Health in 1997 and published in 1999 found that the use of assistive devices reduced the severity of a disability significantly. Without the use of an assistive device 67% of people with movement activity limitation reported their disability as severe. With the use of an assistive device only 8% of people with movement activity limitation reported their disability as severe. This is justification enough to focus on the provision of assistive devices as a strategic objective.
This study further found that only 37% of those who required the assistive devices service actually received it. Our aim now is to ensure that all who require this kind of service indeed receive it.
As a department we are committed to achieve all the health related aspects of the United Nations (UN) Standard Rules on the Equalisation of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities.
On assistive devices, Rule 4: Support Services, says 'states should ensure the provision of assistive devices and equipment, personal assistance and interpreter services, according to the needs of persons with disabilities, as important measures to achieve the equalization of opportunities.'
The first point that this rule makes is that it is the duty of the state to ensure the provision of assistive devices. Indeed this government is committed to deliver on this obligation. We also want to create the right environment for this to happen. It was in this spirit that we have published guidelines for the Standardisation of Provision of Assistive Devices in South Africa. These guidelines will ensure that the provision and maintenance of assistive devices is uniform throughout the country.
The second point is that the service should be provided according to the needs of persons with disabilities. This is important to keep in mind because persons with disabilities do not form a homogeneous group, but they each have their own specific needs. Very often the 'one size fits all' mentality displayed by some overseas donors does not help to address the real needs.
The third point is that to a number of persons with disabilities, equalisation of opportunities cannot happen without assistive devices. They need the devices to access educational, work and recreational facilities.
The UN Standard Rules are now ten years old. A review of the implementation of the rules by world bodies such as World Health Organisation (WHO) shows some lack of enthusiasm on the part of member countries to implement them. There is agreement that the reason behind this is the fact that the Rules do not have a force of law like a convention would have.
It is for this reason that as government we fully support the initiative taken by Disabled People's Organisations worldwide to have a Convention on the Rights of People With Disabilities. The UN Decade of Disabled Persons may not have achieved a lot of tangible results, but it sure did a lot for disability awareness worldwide.
But now is the time to go beyond awareness and focus on strategic projects. We must work together as South Africans, and as Africans to ensure that the African Decade of Disabled Persons currently underway achieves more than just awareness. Let us join hands and together heed the President's call to 'push back the frontiers of poverty.'
I think that this province serves as an example of what we can achieve if government and the disability sector work together as partners. We all agree that people with disabilities worldwide are amongst the poorest of the poor. They have been on the receiving end of oppression and discrimination for years. Some have been ridiculed and treated like minors for their whole lives.
I want to believe that as you receive these wheelchairs today you will make them part of your arsenal to go and explore. I dare you to believe in yourselves and see obstacles as challenges to be conquered. Let these devices open doors to a brighter future.
I thank you all.
Issued by: Ministry of Health, 29 January 2004
Source: Department of Health (http://www.doh.gov.za)
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