For thousands of hearing-impaired Ghanaians, seeking medical care means walking into a hospital and leaving without being properly understood.
Investigations reveal that most hospitals in Ghana have no trained sign language interpreters, forcing Deaf and hard-of-hearing patients to depend on children, relatives, and handwritten notes to communicate with health workers.
Stakeholders describe the situation as a critical communication gap that is denying safe, private, and accurate healthcare to a vulnerable group.
“If you are hearing impaired and cannot communicate with a doctor or caregiver at the hospital, it becomes very difficult to explain your condition,” one respondent said during a stakeholder engagement.
Children and Relatives Turned Interpreters
At a clinic in Nungua, Krowor Municipality, a woman relies on her son to interpret during every medical visit.
“He isn’t being paid, but he’s sometimes given just tea or small help when he attends a program with her,” a respondent recounted.
Health experts say the practice burdens families and violates patient privacy. It also risks misdiagnosis, as untrained relatives may add, omit, or misrepresent symptoms to doctors.
“A trained interpreter can convey exactly what the person means. That’s our main challenge,” the respondent stressed.
Pen and Paper Fall Short
Where no family member is available, healthcare workers resort to writing.
“I don’t have sign language interpretation skills. I write things down and they write answers back. But this takes a long time” a health worker admitted.
“Hearing-impaired individuals understand sign language much better than written notes. Medical explanations need to be longer and more detailed,” he added.
Training Deficit in Health Schools
An anonymous nurse said the problem begins in training institutions.
“Sign language is taught during our nursing training but for just a semester and we end up forgetting all we learnt after we graduate” she disclosed.
“The challenge is with those who cannot hear and comprehend anything unless they use sign language, and there are no interpreters in our hospitals,” she added.
She is calling for the recruitment of professional interpreters and for sign language to be made a full, examinable course.
“Otherwise, the country will be on the verge of losing many to needless complications and deaths,” she warned.
Disability Groups Demand Action
Stakeholders say the Ministry of Health and Ghana Health Service must partner with disability groups to fix the gap.
Key groups identified include the *Ghana National Association of the Deaf* and the *Ghana Society of the Physically Disabled*, both under the Ghana Federation of Disability Organizations* which represents about 18 associations.
They are urging government to recruit interpreters and reform training to ensure care that aligns with the Persons with Disability Act, 2006 (Act 715).
By Prosper Kwaku Selassy Agbitor
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