File photo: A child with Down Syndrome
Offinso North MP Collins Ntim has advocated the setting up of child development centres in every constituency to provide support services to children with Down’s syndrome and other related disorders.
According to him, this will make them useful to society.
In a statement made on the floor of parliament to commemorate this year’s World Down’s Syndrome Day, the chairman of the Health Committee of parliament said even though the condition was not treatable, it could be managed.
“Mr Speaker, the condition can be managed, especially those that are not extremely critical, although people with Down’s syndrome experience learning difficulties that lead to delays with many areas of development... In fact, [children with] Down’s syndrome make good use of nonverbal skills including …gestures,” he stated.
The lawmaker further noted that “because of lack of knowledge about the disorder, some people attribute it to reasons other than genetics. For this reason, couples who have children with the disorder sometimes resort to spiritualists for help, [hence] the need to educate people on such disorders”.
To assist such children, Mr Ntim suggested that the state must establish child development centres across the country. He, however, said dealing with the problem “must not only be the responsibility of the central government”.
“As we observe World Down’s Syndrome Day, Mr Speaker, I want to urge corporate entities, civil society organisations, religious bodies as well as colleague Members of Parliament to join in the advocacy and consider establishing child development centres in every constituency to provide support services to children with the Down’s syndrome and other related disorders and make them useful to society,” the MP said.
