Doctors & nurses can’t learn sign language

The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) is in disagreement with the suggestion by the Ghana Association of the Deaf that nurses and doctors must learn sign language to enable them attend to patients who were hearing impaired.
The GMA was of the view that such a move would be difficult to achieve in the short term and proposed that the deaf should have interpreters accompanying them whenever they go to the hospitals.
The National Association of the Deaf was alarmed at the increasing death rate of its members due to wrong prescriptions and diagnosis, resulting from doctors’ lack of knowledge of sign language.
The association had therefore demanded recruitment of sign language interpreters to health facilities to correct the mishap.
The President of the GMA, Dr Kwabena Adusei-Poku told Frontline that the even though it is unfair treatment against persons with hearing impaired, doctors and nurses would fine it difficult to learn.
He proposed that the Association should have interpreters accompany them when they go to the hospitals.
The President of the Ghana Association of the Deaf, Emmanuel Sackey, called on government to provide interpreters at hospitals and other health facilities across the country.
Mr. Sackey said taking course in sign language as part of several suggestions, would help solve the problem of communication between people with hearing impaired and medical practitioners.
He suggested that sign language studies should be introduced in basic schools, while doctors and nurses should be taught some basic sign language.
He stressed that the problem of communication was worse especially among people with hearing impaired who do not have basic or any education at all.
Mr. Sackey said that the Association with support from a non-governmental organisation was embarking on public education on sign language and pleaded with government and other non-governmental organisations to support the effort of the Association.

Story: Dorcas Abedu-Kennedy [Rainbow Radio]