ADDRESSING HEALTH DISPARITIES AMONG CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENT LIVING WITH DISABILITIES IN RWANDA-INSIGHT FROM SUCCESS

Children and adolescent living with disabilities face different health challenges depending on the type of restriction such as cognitive or mobility and the underlying condition, they often suffer health disparities in healthcare, there is a difference in persons with disabilities regarding to health outcome. Globally, there are more than 1.3 billion people with disabilities and the high percentage is children. The number of people in global south living with disability is about 80 millions out of which 10%−15% are children of school age. The causes of disability among children include congenital anomalies like genetic disorders or acquired conditions like epilepsy, vision loss, or hearing loss, cerebral palsy, poliomyelitis, tetanus, meningitis and malaria. However, these causes of disability are preventable and can be managed with early interventions and community rehabilitation services. The aim of this paper is to share the experience from mobile clinic approach in mitigating health challenges among children and adolescents living with disabilities and propose community rehabilitation as the main approach in reducing unnecessary suffering and address health disparities faced by children and families affected by disabilities. The mobile clinic carried out routine assessment of children with disability, training community health workers to provide education on disability and strategies for disability prevention to parents and caregivers, community rehabilitation like physiotherapy, orthopaedic surgery, hearing aid and family counselling to the community with the main objectives of promptly preventing and managing disability among children. Moreover, establishing these facilities requires shared commitment and multisector involvement and a synthesis of the global evidence is paramount to identify the factors that hinder equitable access to healthcare services for children with disabilities Objectives: To describe the characteristics and disability-related health needs of children and adolescents with disabilities in Karongi district, Western Province Rwanda. Study Design: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from June 2023 to October 2023. Trained research assistants together with mobile medical team interviewed door to door primarily children and adolescents living with disabilities, key informants and focussed group discussion for the qualitative part, children’s carers were assessed using questionnaire based on World Health Organisation Disabilities Assessment Score(WHODAS 2), Multidimensional scale of perceived social support(MSPSS). Data were analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics V.27. Study Setting: Karongi District Western province-Rwanda. Participants: Children and adolescents, aged 0–17 years living with disabilities (n=400). Results: The present sample comprised of 230 (57.64%) male and 169 (42.36%) female with the mean age of 9 and (SD = 4.9) years. Almost 43.36%) demonstrated high social support, 43.07% and 13.57% reported medium and low social support respectively. Conclusion: Children and adolescents with disabilities in Karongi district western Rwanda have impaired speech, hearing impairment, intellectual disabilities, joint mobility, and difficulties in communication, self-care and walking. Community Rehabilitation, counselling services, financial support from different key partners are essential to address these impairments. It is therefore a responsibility to every member of the society to dismantle the ableism faced by children and adolescent with disabilities.