Persons with disabilities accuse the Assembly of discrimination when paid by the Common Fund

General News of Sunday, February 10, 2019

Source: 3news.com

2019-02-10

Persons with disabilities from Ledzokuku Municipality in Accra accused the local authorities of being selective in the payment of funds allocated to them in the Common Fund of the District Assembly.

By law, all district, municipal and metropolitan bademblies are required to pay 3% of the Common Fund to persons with disabilities in their respective jurisdictions, but this appears to be a problem for Ledzokuku as some concerns have been raised.

During a 3FM Community Connect program at Teshie Tsuibleoo in Accra, some people with disabilities lamented that the Assembly is not transparent in the payment of their share of the Common Fund.

But the fund manager at the Ledzokuku Municipal Assembly, James Bortey, refuted the allegations against the badembly, explaining that since 2012, the badembly has made sure that the funds from invalidity be paid to those who are indebted to it.

However, he added that beneficiaries should follow due process, which includes interviews and verification before funds are disbursed.

Context

World Health Organization figures indicate that there are more than two million people with disabilities in Ghana, the majority of whom are poor and marginalized and face major life problems, such as inaccessible public facilities, education systems and other social services.

The government pbaded the Disability Bill in June 2006 to give respite to persons with disabilities, but implementation of this law is far from desirable. The law stipulates that 3% of the Assembly's Common Fund should be given to persons with disabilities in order to reduce poverty, especially among those who are not part of the formal sector.

But this goal seems far from being achieved because inadequate management, monitoring, disbursement and documentation of funds has been a challenge for people with disabilities.

The guidelines for the disbursement of funds also do not specify the number of times and the amount that a person or organization can access.

The situation is aggravated by the fact that physically fit people would have access to the disability fund.