*3.5.3 Availability of specialist healthcare providers*

From the study findings, participants acknowledged and stated that the availability of rehabilitation specialists in health centers influences their access to healthcare for their children with CP. Respondents asserted that some hospitals have specialized services written on their signboards but do not provide such services because specialists are scarce. This influences their decision to access healthcare services from certain health facilities. Respondents believed that rehabilitation specialists like physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, and occupational therapists are very few and scarce in Ghana, especially in the rural areas. Respondents also asserted that they have to travel long distances to access these specialized services in the urban centers which sometimes transportation cost and rehabilitation cost becomes a challenge to them.


#### **Table 3.**

*Reasonable accommodation and suggested approaches.*

## *3.5.4 Accessibility of building and equipment*

Study participants agreed that many health centers are not disability-friendly. They linked the accessibility of the building to the physical environment of the health facility including entrance to consulting rooms, OPD, and top floors. Some participants also stated that equipment like standing frames, power tables, parallel bars, and stand-assist devices in most hospitals are not friendly to children with CP (**Table 3**). Participants believed that most rehabilitation equipment in certain hospitals is meant for stroke patients and not for children with CP.

### *3.5.5 Healthcare providers attitude*

Attitudes of healthcare providers play a significant role in parents' decisions to access health care for their children with disabilities. Some participants acknowledged the fact that not all healthcare providers' attitude is bad. However, the majority of the respondents stated that their experience with healthcare providers has been bad and that discourages them from accessing healthcare for their children with CP. It was strongly perceived that bad behavior like discrimination from healthcare providers towards parents of children with CP would rather discourage them from accessing health care.
