Medical practitioners have called on the Federal Government to give crucial support to children with cerebral palsy to help them to live normal lives.They made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Umuahia on Wednesday to mark this year’s cerebral palsy awareness month.They are of the view that although cerebral palsy is a lifelong disorder, there are many
interventions that can be done by government to help reduce its impact.Dr Peace Amaraegbulam, a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon with the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Umuahia, said government should make healthcare free as much as possible.She urged government to include rehabilitation in the universal health care services for children with disabilities and make it affordable too.Amaraegbulam, who is the Founding Chairman of Straight Child Foundation, an organisation that cares for children with cerebral palsy and other disabilities, called for more education and awareness.She added that “the society is grossly ignorant about this condition (cerebral palsy). So there is still a discrimination against them.“Disability Act is yet to be domesticated in so many states; there are still so much to be done by government.”The consultant said that her foundation’s recent programme/lecture was aimed at creating awareness on the disorder “as March is cerebral palsy awareness month.”Also,
Dr RoseAnn Chidomere, a Consultant Peadetrician with FMC, Umuahia, urged Federal Government to include the treatment of cerebral palsy in National Health Insurance Scheme.Chidomere, who has special interest in child neurology, said that the treatment should be made available and affordable for them, noting that
“cerebral palsy is one of the major problems to manage in hospitals.”
She decried the dearth of speech pathologists and occupational therapists in the country, adding that even when they available, they were very expensive.“The parents of children with cerebral palsy need to be empowered. Some of them don’t have jobs and most of these complications are very expensive to treat.“So, if government can make drugs available and affordable, it will go a long way to help.” (NAN)
