Financial Access to Healthcare among Persons with Disabilities in the Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana

Eric Badu; Maxwell Peprah Opoku; Seth Christopher Yaw Appiah; Elvis Agyei-Okyere

doi:10.5463/dcid.v26i2.402

Eric Badu ⁽¹⁾, Maxwell Peprah Opoku ⁽²⁾, Seth Christopher Yaw Appiah ⁽³⁾, Elvis Agyei-Okyere ⁽⁴⁾

(1) Department of Community Health, Centre for Disability and Rehabilitation Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana,

(2) Department of Community Health, Centre for Disability and Rehabilitation Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana,

(3) Department of Sociology and Social Work, KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana,

(4) Department of Planning, KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana

https://doi.org/10.5463/dcid.v26i2.402

Issue
Vol. 26 No. 2 (2015): Summer 2015

Submitted
September 14, 2020

Published
July 22, 2015

Keywords:

persons with disabilities, financial access, Kumasi Metropolis

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Abstract

Purpose: According to the World Health Organisation, 10% to 15% of the population of every developing country lives with disability. This amounts to about 2.4 - 3.6 million Ghanaians with disability. Since their contribution is important for the development of the country, this study aimed to assess the financial access to healthcare among persons with disabilities in the Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana.

Methods: A cross-sectional study, involving administration of a semi-structured questionnaire, was conducted among persons with all kinds of disabilities (physically challenged, hearing and visually impaired) in the Kumasi Metropolis. Multi-stage sampling was used to randomly select 255 persons with disabilities from 5 clusters of communities - Oforikrom, Subin, Asewase, Tafo and Asokwa. Data analysis involved descriptive and analytical statistics at 95% CI using SPSS software version 20.

Results: There were more male than female participants, nearly one-third of them had no formal education and 28.6% were unemployed. The average monthly expenditure on healthcare was GHC 21.46 (USD 6.0) which constituted 9.8% of the respondents’ income. Factors such as age, gender, disability type, education, employment, and whether or not they stayed with family members had significant bearing on the average monthly expenses on healthcare (p<0.05). Transportation cost, the travel distance to facilities, as well as the regular sources of payment for healthcare, had significant relationship with access to healthcare (p<0.05). Although about 63.5% of the respondents used the National Health Insurance Scheme as the regular source of payment for healthcare, 94.1% reported that sources of payment did not cover all their expenses and equipment.

Conclusion: Financial access to healthcare remains a major challenge for persons with disabilities. Measures to finance all healthcare expenses of persons with disabilities are urgently needed to improve their access to healthcare.

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Authors

Eric Badu

Department of Community Health, Centre for Disability and Rehabilitation Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi

badu3eric@gmail.com (Primary Contact)

Maxwell Peprah Opoku

Department of Community Health, Centre for Disability and Rehabilitation Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi

Seth Christopher Yaw Appiah

Department of Sociology and Social Work, KNUST, Kumasi

Elvis Agyei-Okyere

Department of Planning, KNUST, Kumasi

Author Biographies

Eric Badu, Department of Community Health, Centre for Disability and Rehabilitation Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi

Eric Badu is a Ghanaian, with interest in Disability and Health research, Access to services, Community Based Rehabilitation, Social inclusion and Education, Human rights issues, Capacity building and Statistical data analysis. He has experience in diverse fields including teaching and consulting in disability and health research, field mentoring and supervision in research projects as well as other academic works. He holds MSc Disability, Rehabilitation and Development. From 2013 to 2014, he worked as Graduate Assistant, Centre for Disability and Rehabilitation Studies. Currently, he works as Research officer for Sightsavers West Africa Programmes.

Maxwell Peprah Opoku, Department of Community Health, Centre for Disability and Rehabilitation Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi

Maxwell Peprah Opoku is a Ghanaian by birth who was born on 17th November, 1987 at Mampong in the Ashanti region of Ghana. He started his early education at his place of birth before moving to Kumasi for his first degree in Political Science from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. After serving a year as Teaching and Research Assistant, he developed interest in disability which influenced his decision to enroll in Disability, Rehabilitation and Development for his second degree from this same University. He was appointed as Graduate Teaching Assistant at the Centre of Disability Studies, Department of Community Health while pursuing his Master degree. His area of specialty is disability, special education, community based rehabilitation, Inclusive education, health research, management of natural resources, human rights, social policies and public policy.

Seth Christopher Yaw Appiah, Department of Sociology and Social Work, KNUST, Kumasi

Seth Christopher Yaw Appiah is an Mphil graduate and a Graduate Research Assistant at the Department of Sociology and Social Work / Faculty of Social Sciences / Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. He earned the undergraduate degree in Bachelor of Arts Sociology and Social Work from the Department of Sociology and Social Work, Faculty of Social Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. He has published eight (8) research papers in national and international academic journals. His research interests include (MedicalSociology, Reproductive health and Maternal and Child health related issues). He intends to pursue PhD in Public Health or Medical Sociology in future.

Elvis Agyei-Okyere, Department of Planning, KNUST, Kumasi

Elvis Agyei-Okyere hails from Kenyasi in Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana. He was born on 29^th May 1986. Elvis hold first degree in Political Science from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. Elvis is a teacher by profession. His professional career outside of teaching includes as voluntary social work worker for some NGO’s and research works. Currently, he is pursing MSC Development Planning and Management at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.

1.

Badu E, Opoku MP, Appiah SCY, Agyei-Okyere E. Financial Access to Healthcare among Persons with Disabilities in the Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana. DCIDJ [Internet]. 2015 Jul. 22 [cited 2025 Feb. 23];26(2):47-64. Available from: https://dcidj.uog.edu.et/index.php/up-j-dcbrid/article/view/186

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