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Thirty officials from the Ministry of Health of Burkina Faso trained to enhance inclusive access to health

Participants to the training in Ouagadougou

In the framework of Bridging the Gap’s action in Burkina Faso, a total of 30 officials from the Ministry of Health, including Directors and Health Managers, were trained on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CDPD) to enhance the access to health for persons with disabilities. The activity was organised by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), implementation agency of Bridging the Gap within the country, and it took place in two separate sessions: the first one from the 7th to 9th of May and the second from the 24th  to the 26th of July.

The training, organised in collaboration with the National Multi- sectorial Council for the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Persons with Disability (COMUD) and led by Boukary Savadogo, was conducted through a participatory approach.

The second session was inaugurated by the director of AICS in Burkina Faso, Domenico Bruzzone, and the representative of the Ministry of Health Babou Bazier, acting Head of the Department of non-Communicable Diseases, with the participation of the director of Bridging the Gap, Federico Martire, and the project coordinator in the country, Dolores Mattossovich, who provided a view of the project to the participants.

This activity allow the participants to expand their knowledge, share experiences and perceptions related to disability and inclusion, as well as to get acquainted with the principles of the CRPD, its implication for healthcare services, and to examine in detail the articles 25 and 26 (health and rehabilitation, respectively).

Over three days, sessions on key pillars for inclusive programming such as inclusive planning, the importance of dedicated resources and the need for data were held. The participants also could know first-hand the experiences of three representatives of national Organisations of Persons with Disabilities: Souleyman Ouedraogo, Secretary General of the National Network of Persons Living with Disability (ReNOH); Palenfo Issa, President of the Federation of Burkina Faso of Association of Persons with Disability (FEBAH); and Dena Maimouna, President of association of persons with albinism. They shared the difficulties they face in their daily life and how they have built upon them to become spokespersons for inclusion so that no one is left behind.

The most emphasised themes during the training were the local legislation and the operational decrees, the responsibilities of the Ministry of Health in making health structures accessible, and the existing challenges to acquire the Disability Card, which provides specific social protection benefits for persons with disabilities depending on their socio-economic conditions.

The training concluded with the signing of a declaration of commitment to protect the rights enshrined in the CRDP and promote inclusion within their daily work by the representative of the Ministry of Health in name of all attendants.

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