Making healthcare accessible to all levels of society remains among the government's top priorities that include catering to the needs of children with special needs.

With the next five years focussed on three main strategies one of which - as explained by the Minister of Health, Yang Berhormat Dato Paduka Dr. Awang Haji Zulkarnain bin Haji Hanafi during the recent Legislative Council Meeting - being enhancing quality of service delivery through consolidation and realignment of healthcare services for giving added value to the ministry's customers, or members of the public, while reducing wastages, the ministry recently explained that authorities' ambition is to strengthen relations with stakeholders in ensuring that children with special needs are provided with the best possible care for a high quality living.

"Consolidation," according to the ministry, "will meal exercising continuous improvement at every level of the organisation which focusses on reducing wastages and transforming it into value for the public. It would also create convenience for all such as providing a comprehensive, one-stop centre for all, including children with special needs," and challenges such as long waiting lists and waiting time can be addressed and improved upon more efficiently.

As part of the efforts to better their services for these special individuals, the Ministry of Health (MoH) recently organised an engagement dialogue with stakeholders as a means to better identify strategies and create holistic approaches to better understand what it is that the country's special community is in need of with feedbacks highlighting the need for a comprehensive, seamless and integrated care for children with disabilities.

Chaired by the ministry's Permanent Secretary, Awang Haji Zakaria bin Haji Serudin and co-facilitated by Deputy Permanent Secretary, Dr. Hajah Maslina binti Haji Mohsin, the dialogue session was attended by various parties ranging from parents to guardians, several non-government organisations (NGOs) as well as those from the education ministry and healthcare professionals.

"It is not only the role of the Ministry of Health (MoH) to solely delve into the care of children with disabilities but it is also the responsibility of other relevant stakeholders, thereby adhering to the whole-nation approach," in making health everyone's business, "which would contribute to greater equity and optimising of resources," it was highlighted by the ministry at the dialogue.

Apart from opportunities for discussions, the dialogue opens up an enhanced and collaborative work opportunity with relevant stakeholders that targets delivery chain of services, ownership and responsibility, the ministry added.

"A wide range of sectors need to be involved in and share responsibility for identifying children with special needs and guaranteeing support for their families and care givers," the ministry pointed out, and stressed that family members and those who deal directly with young children are among the critical players in ensuring that these children's needs are met ranging from health, education as well as protection.

"Essential are those who contribute to the development, implementation and monitoring of policies, finances and services," noted the ministry, adding that this includes the government, NGOs, professional organisations, the media, the private sector as well as parent and disability advocacy Organisations.

Over one billion people or 15 per cent of the world's population live with some form of disability. Of this, around 190 million have significant difficulties in functioning, according to the World Report on Disability. The estimated number of special needs children aged zero to 18 years ranges between 93 million and 150 million, depending on the source. Citing the Global Burden of Disease study of 2004, the World Report estimated that among those aged zero to 14, roughly 5.1 per cent of all children, or 93 million, live with a 'moderate or severe' disability and 0.7 per cent, or 13 million children, live with severe difficulties as cited by UNICEF.

As explained by the ministry, promoting the development of young children with special needs requires a holistic approach that includes access to a wide range of care from provision of appropriate healthcare, child care and education to life-long support from the community that would bolster development and learning of children with various special needs.

A life-cycle approach to programming provides a helpful framework to identify priority and sustainable interventions during the early childhood stage and to ensure a continuum of quality care, health services, protection and education as a child transitions from birth into and through the first grades of primary school.

The success of this approach is measured through how effective the services and mechanisms surrounding the child with special needs is being perceived by parents, caregivers and the public in enhancing the quality of life of children with special needs. This approach provides the foundation for organising the roles and responsibilities of each sector in support of children and their families, aimed at guaranteeing a more coordinated, seamless and integrated plan while reducing potential duplication of services.

Source:
@BRUDIRECT.COM

by BruDirect.com

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