Commission shifts from one-off distribution to assessment, fitting, training and follow-up
ABUJA — The National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) has commenced a three-day assistive devices intervention targeting 562 children with disabilities across selected hospitals and institutions in the Federal Capital Territory.
The programme, which began at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH), Gwagwalada, and Kuje General Hospital, features the assessment, prescription, fitting and distribution of paediatric wheelchairs, standing frames, axillary crutches, elbow crutches and bath chairs.
The Commission says the intervention marks a shift from ad-hoc distribution to a structured, hospital-based model designed to ensure that assistive devices are properly assessed, fitted and supported.
NCPWD Executive Secretary, Hon. Ayuba Burki Gufwan, represented by the Head of General Services, Mr. Carl Gurumyen, said the Commission’s guiding principle is: “Appropriate device first; distribution second.”
He said success would be measured not by the number of devices distributed but by their impact on children’s mobility, safety, comfort, education, participation and independence.
The Head of the Assistive Devices and Technology Unit, Dr. Ismail Idris, said participating hospitals would manage the devices through professional structures, including physiotherapy departments, to provide assessment, fitting, training, follow-up and maintenance.
At Kuje General Hospital, the Chief Medical Director, Dr. Demola Onakomaiya, assured the Commission that the devices would be allocated to those who need them, while the Head of Welfare, Mrs. Esther Akwu, appealed for similar support for schools serving children with disabilities in Kuje Area Council.
The intervention is supported by the ECOWAS Commission and targets indigent persons with disabilities, particularly children who cannot afford assistive devices.
The three-day exercise continues across selected locations in the FCT.
