CHALLENGES AND COPING MECHANISMS IN ACESSIBILITY TO MODERN HEALTH CARE SERVICES FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES IN OYO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Access to healthcare services is one of the indices for measuring health status of individuals worldwide. However, persons with disabilities (PWDs) lack access to the healthcare facilities  in Nigeria. Several studies have focused on access to healthcare services among pregnant women, young adults and the aged, but dearth of information exists for PWDs. This study therefore examined the challenges and coping mechanism in accessing modern healthcare services among PWDs in Ibadan with special emphasis on examining the availability of modern healthcare services and identifying the barriers to accessing them by PWDs. The study was conducted in Ibadan North and North-West local government areas in Oyo state, and is cross-sectional in nature. Qualitative method was adopted using In-depth interviews (IDI) conducted among 20 PWDs on wheelchairs and Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) among 10 Social Workers and Physiotherapists. The Structural-functionalist formed the framework for the explanation of the study. Qualitative data were content analysed. Findings revealed that majority (73%) of the PWDs were above 30 years,  57% of them were female, while 77% were married. Participants revealed that very few healthcare services were available to PWDs to which they lacked access, thus making health care services inadequate. Healthcare facilities were reported not readily available and accessible because of barriers such distance, cost, disability-insensitive environment and inability of PWDs to compete with other persons seeking modern healthcare services. The study recommended the need for the government and stakeholders to make modern healthcare services more available, more accessible and disability-sensitive.

Key words: Access, Availability, Modern Healthcare Services, Disability, PWDs.