Persons with disabilities in Mukono Municipality are in great fear of missing the Covid-19 vaccine due some difficulties of reaching the vaccination centers and failing to get timely information.Mukono resumed the exercise of mass vaccination in various centers like markets, churches, schools and health centers but few of these people have managed to access this place due to certain reasons.
Ahmed Lubowa, a councilor for persons with disabilities in Mukono Municipality, says that over 700 might miss the vaccine because they have failed to get transport which can take them to the immunization centers yet others failed to get the interpreters.
“Here in Mukono Municipality, I personally tried to engage Dr Anthony Konde, who sits on the committee, and I raised our concern but he told me to hold on that he would handle it but up to now, I have not heard from him” Lubowa says.
He added that most PWDs in the villages cannot afford transport to take them to be vaccinated yet others do not have caretakers, which left them helpless yet they want to be part of these exercises.
Lubowa expresses dismay to the Mukono Covid-19 Task Force, which he says has failed to go into their pocket and pick some funds just to facilitate the transportation of these people to vaccination centers.
He appeals to the leaders and district officials to arrange for these people or to deploy mobile medical workers, so that the PWDs can be vaccinated from their homes.
Eddy Moses Mubiru, a resident of Mukono and a deaf person, says that people who fall under his category have also missed the vaccination because there is no proper information they get in the absence of interpreters since some of them do not know how to read and write.
Mubiru added that there are about 300 deaf people in Mukono Central Division alone and that they are at risk for missing out on vaccination.
Dr Stephen Mulindwa, the Mukono District Health Officer, says that as a district, they are in arrangement for such people to see that they also get vaccinated. He adds that as leaders, they have already submitted their list in his office and they will liaise with the chief administration officers and medical facilities to see if they can tackle such an issue.
He, however, encouraged the families of these people to also make some effort to ensure that their people are vaccinated as opposed to just waiting.
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