MPs urge sign language training for healthcare staff amid treatment challenges for deaf people

By Auther Chimbgwa

Zimbabwean MPs have called for the implementation of a comprehensive sign language policy across all public healthcare facilities in the country to allow deaf patients to accurately describe their ailments and avoid cases of misdiagnosis or delayed treatment.

Contributing to debate on a motion brought to parliament by Zanu PF Mwenezi North legislator Master Makope on challenges affecting the deaf community owing to lack of sign language, Zanu PF MP for Goromonzi West Biatah Karimatsenga-Nyamupinga said deaf people also faced problems of non-adherence to their medication due to lack of sign language.

“Deaf people sometimes do not hear because of lack of sign language. They do not get exactly what is the prescription or how it should be taken and they end up sometimes not taking the medicine correctly as prescribed,” Karimatsenga-Nyamupinga said.

She added: “Lack of understanding of medical instruction results in patients not following prescribed treatments, medication regimes and post-operative care is a challenge to patients who are deaf because of lack of sign language.

“Deaf patients may not fully comprehend the risks and benefits of medical procedures, comprising their ability to provide informed consent.”

She said there were also limited health literacy due to communication barriers and that deaf people had limited access to health information, resulting in lower health literacy.

“There are also increased health disparities, delayed or avoided care. Frustration and fear of miscommunication can lead deaf individuals to delay or avoid seeking necessary medical care,” Karimatsenga-Nyamupinga added.

She said communication barriers contributed to poor management of chronic conditions and increased risk complications-chronic conditions like those affected by cancer and other diseases that they had to live with within their lives.

She said most people tended to shun the deaf and “this is so stressful in their lives, within their families, communities and workplaces”.

“Sometimes they can see that these people are talking about them and they do not hear what they are saying. People just laugh off, leave and they are stressed thinking what others would be saying about them,” said the legislator.

Turning to the courts, Karimatsenga-Nyamupinga said lack of sign language and education tended to create significant barriers for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals, impacting their access to justice, education and overall inclusion in society.

“Problems in courts, delays and adjournment of cases may be delayed or postponed due to the unavailability of sign language interpreters, leading to prolonged legal proceedings and increased costs,” she said adding that deaf people may struggle to understand court proceedings, potentially leading in miscarriages in justice.

Weighing in on the same issue, Zanu PF Gokwe Central legislator Tungai Masvisvi said sign language was within the deaf’s constitutional rights.

“This motion is advocating the introduction of interpreter services for the deaf in Zimbabwe’s healthcare system. This is not just a matter of policy reform. It is a moral, legal and constitutional obligation. The right to healthcare is enshrined in our Constitution yet for the deaf, this right remains largely inaccessible due to communication barriers,” Masvisvi said.

Masvisvi said Section 76 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe mandates the provision of inclusive and non-discriminatory healthcare services to all citizens while Section 6 also recognises sign language as one of Zimbabwe’s 16 official languages.

However, the absence of interpreter services in Zimbabwe’s hospitals effectively denies deaf individuals their right to access quality medical care.

“Section 22 further emphasises the rights of persons with disabilities yet without interpreters, deaf patients struggle to communicate symptoms, understand diagnoses or consent to treatment. This situation is unacceptable in a country committed to inclusivity,” said the legislator.

Masvisvi said as a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights, Zimbabwe has pledged to eliminate barriers to healthcare access to people with disabilities.

“Yet we lag behind countries such as South Africa and Kenya, which have already implemented interpreter services in hospitals,” he said.
According to ZimStart, 11 percent of disabled persons in Zimbabwe have hearing impairments.

Several other members of parliament supported Makope’s motion.