New Health Services Research Study Results from University of Cape Coast Described (In search of universal health coverage – highlighting the accessibility of health care to students with disabilities in Ghana: a qualitative study)

2020 APR 10 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Investigators discuss new findings in Health and Medicine - Health Services Research. According to news originating from Cape Coast, Ghana, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “Accessibility of health care to students with disabilities is a global concern. This is no less important in Ghana, however, to date, no study has been undertaken regarding access to health care to students with disabilities.”

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from the University of Cape Coast, “This study, therefore, aims to explore the accessibility of health care to students with disabilities, in the quest of achieving universal health coverage in Ghana. Qualitative methods, involving in-depth interviews were employed to collect data from 54 participants (29 students with disabilities, 17 health workers and 8 school mothers), selected through purposive sampling. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. The study identified three themes -accessibility, adequacy, and affordability. The study findings highlighted that universal health coverage for students with disabilities has not been achieved due to barriers in accessing health care. The barriers faced by students with disabilities were unfriendly physical environments, structures, equipment, limited support services and poor health insurance policy to finance health care. The study concludes that the government should prioritize disability-related issues in health policy formulation, implementation and monitoring. The current provisions and requirements in the disability act should be prioritized, enforced and monitored to ensure adequate inclusion of disability issues in health services.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Further, the current exemption policy under the National Health Insurance Scheme should be revised to adequately address the needs of people with disabilities.”

For more information on this research see: In search of universal health coverage - highlighting the accessibility of health care to students with disabilities in Ghana: a qualitative study. Bmc Health Services Research, 2020;20(1):270. Bmc Health Services Research can be contacted at: Biomed Central LTD, Middlesex House, 34-42 Cleveland St, London W1T 4LB, England. (BioMed Central - http://www.biomedcentral.com/; Bmc Health Services Research - http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmchealthservres/)

The news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained from I. Vanderpuye, Dept. of Education and Psychology Studies, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana. Additional authors for this research include E. Abodey, I. Mensah and E. Badu.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-020-05138-0. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

The publisher’s contact information for the journal Bmc Health Services Research is: Biomed Central LTD, Middlesex House, 34-42 Cleveland St, London W1T 4LB, England.

(Our reports deliver fact-based news of research and discoveries from around the world.)