The cost and utilisation patterns of a pilot sign language interpreter service for primary health care services in South Africa.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The World Health Organisation estimates disabling hearing loss to be around 5.3%, while a study of hearing impairment and auditory pathology in Limpopo, South Africa found a prevalence of nearly 9%. Although Sign Language Interpreters (SLIs) improve the communication challenges in health care, they are unaffordable for many signing Deaf people and people with disabling hearing loss. On the other hand, there are no legal provisions in place to ensure the provision of SLIs in the health sector in most countries including South Africa. To advocate for funding of such initiatives, reliable cost estimates are essential and such data is scarce. To bridge this gap, this study estimated the costs of providing such a service within a South African District health service based on

SUBMITTER: Zulu T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5741243 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature