MBABANE – Government officials and key partners have begun drafting a national framework to improve the early detection of disabilities in newborns, as part of efforts to ensure more inclusive access to health and social services in Eswatini.
The three-day technical workshop, which ended Thursday, brought together representatives from the Ministry of Health, the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office, the Federation of Organisations of Disabled Persons in Swaziland (FODSWA), and United Nations agencies under the United Nations Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNPRPD).
The workshop focused on developing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for neonatal disability screening. These guidelines are expected to assist nurses, midwives, psychologists, social workers, and other frontline health professionals to detect and assess disabilities at birth or shortly after.
The SOPs also aim to fast-track referrals to relevant medical and social support services, including disability grants, psychosocial care, and OVC support programmes.
Organisers said early screening would improve outcomes for children born with disabilities by connecting families to critical services in time and helping reduce stigma.
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