The graduates of Prosthetics and Orthotics in Ghana have expressed their frustration over their continued neglect in recruitment by the Ghana Health Service (GHS) since 2019.
About 100 graduates from Brother Tarcisius Prosthetics and Orthotics Training College (BTPOTC) in Nsawam-Adoagyiri have been excluded from the ongoing online recruitment process under Allied Health Professionals, exacerbating their concerns.
In response, they have launched a protest on social media, aiming to raise awareness and demand inclusion in the recruitment process.
Their grievances are highlighted in messages such as, “Been in the house since 2019. No financial clearance. Why na??? This injustice towards disabled people must come to an end.
Allied Health Professionals Council only knows how to take PIN money,” and “Since 2019, we are tired; we need jobs.”
The Brother Tarcisius Prosthetics and Orthotics Training College (BTPOTC) in Nsawam-Adoagyiri, established in 2013, is the first of its kind in Ghana. The college aims to address the gap in the provision of artificial limbs, braces, and associated expert services for persons with mobility challenges.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that only 1 in 10 people in need has access to assistive products, including prostheses and orthoses, due to high costs, lack of awareness, unavailability, inadequate trained personnel, and insufficient policy and financing.
According to the 2021 Population and Housing Census, persons with disabilities now make up 8% of Ghana’s population, amounting to 2,098,138 individuals, some of whom require prostheses and orthoses.
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) mandates that member countries, including Ghana, take effective measures to ensure personal mobility and access to high-quality assistive products for people with disabilities.
Brother Tarcisius Prosthetics and Orthotics Training College,affiliated with KNUST and a member of the Allied Health Council, is tasked with training students in prosthetics and orthotics to fill the gap in the Ghanaian healthcare system.
Source:Mybrytfmonline.com/Obed Ansah
