While the end of the COVID-19 pandemic is in sight with the roll out of the vaccine, the fight for equal rights and access is not yet over. RAVEN BENNY
Last year, around this time, the concern for many people with disabilities was to ensure they receive equal access to healthcare amid the pandemic. Many quadriplegics and paraplegics take immunosuppressors and have co-morbidities or other complications that place them at a higher risk of falling severely ill with the COVID-19 virus.
At the time, ventilators were limited and the concern was that quadriplegics and paraplegics would not be considered a priority for this care. To quote from the interview that George Louw conducted with Dr Virginia Wilson, the chairperson of the Southern African Spinal Cord Association and the South African Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine:
“The use of these scores helps the decision making in truly difficult situations. The triage considers availability of resources. A quadriplegic may require ventilation for a much longer period, denying a scarce resource, the ventilator, to others. In a disaster one must do the best for the most.” (Dr Wilson, Rolling Inspiration, Issue 3 of 2020)
Although the pandemic was not without its obstacles, we were able to push for justice, inclusion and access.
However, now a new challenge has dawned on us. With limited vaccines in South Africa and a roll out plan that (according to current estimations) can take decades, a new fight begins: The one to ensure people with disabilities receive priority vaccinations.
Fortunately, we have organisations like the QuadPara Association of South Africa (QASA) that can assist with advocating on behalf of its members. In February, QASA reached out to the Department of Health to state its case in securing priority vaccinations for people with disabilities. To quote from my letter to the department:
“Now that the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines have begun, we feel that persons with disabilities and their carers should be included as a priority. Many of us have comorbidities and difficulties in accessing services due to the fear of exposure toCOVID-19.”
The department has heeded our call and we are currently in discussions to ensure quadriplegics and paraplegics in South Africa receive priority vaccinations.
While the fight for access and equality never truly ends for people with disabilities, we can take comfort in and celebrate the small wins that help the greater good. If we stand together, we can achieve great things.
Raven Benny has been a C5, 6 and 7 quadriplegic since 2000. He is married and has five children, is mad about wheelchair rugby and represented South Africa in 2003 and 2005. He relocated from Cape Town to Durban, where he was appointed the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of QASA from August 1, 2019. email: coo@qasa.co.za.
