Experts: Involving people with mental disabilities a key to achieving "Healthy integration"
Sharjah, September 16 / WAM / Experts and officials from academic and societal institutions discussed within the activities of the World Conference “We contain”, currently held at the Expo Sharjah Center, ways to enhance the comprehensiveness of the health sector and ensure respect for the rights of persons with mental disabilities, stressing that achieving real integration begins with their actual involvement in their health decisions.
Salma Al -Tabakh, a self -advocate and an expert in developing children’s skills with mental disabilities, and a Mitnisori specialist at the “Tamarz” center in Alexandria and a member of the International Humin Human Huminity, presented her personal experience with health care providers, noting that some doctors interacted with her directly and explained to her the details of treatment, which made her feel as a partner in the medical decision. On the other hand, she pointed out that some of them ignored her presence and only spoke to her mother, which makes her feel the lack of recognition of her right to participate.
“We persons with disabilities deserve to be part of the decisions concerning our health. The integration begins with respect, and to recognize our voices and opinions as real partners in the health care system,” she said.
For his part, His Excellency Abdullah Al -Humaidan, Secretary -General of the Zayed Upper Foundation for People of Determination, stressed that comprehensive health care is not achieved without integration that guarantees equality and equal opportunities.
He pointed out that the Foundation has developed a practical model for unifying the concepts between the social and medical sector through the “Disability Classification Guide in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi” issued in 2020, which constitutes a unified reference to deal with various types of disabilities in cooperation with more than 12 governmental and private entities.
In turn, Dr. Mohamed Iyas, head of the auditors and speech treatment program at Sharjah University, explained that sympathy and involvement of the patient in the medical decision enhances the success of treatment.
He reviewed the university’s efforts to integrate the concepts of disability within the curricula, through educational courses such as “understanding disabilities” and simulation laboratories that allow students to train in real cases, in order to prepare them to provide more humane and comprehensive health care.
For its part, Razan Abu Assaf, training and development executive in Sharjah Humanitarian Services City, explained that the city has been working for more than four decades to build bridges of cooperation with the health sector through practical programs for medical students and specialized training in sign language and methods of effective communication with persons with disabilities, stressing that health integration is an authentic right and shared responsibility and not an additional service.
The session concluded that enabling doctors to understand the integration and building communication skills that take into account the differences opens the door for a more just healthy system and enhances patients’ confidence that they are an inherent part of their therapeutic decisions, which is reflected in the quality of their lives and their health in general.
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