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Health workers learn sign language to communicate better with hearing-impaired Pinoys


An initiative by the Department of Health to improve communication between health workers and deaf Filipinos is underway.

After some training, at least 52 staff members of government health facilities have now been certified as basic sign language interpreters, the DOH said.

DOH Metro Manila head Eduardo Janairo said the sign-language training seeks to bolster the communication skills of health care providers in local government units and in private clinics.

“We should empower the members of our health sector through education and equipping them with the necessary sign language skills and literacy training to allow them to communicate effectively and efficiently and be able to share the knowledge to fellow health workers,” Janairo said.

The DOH said there are 1,112 persons with disabilities in Metro Manila, including 476 with hearing impairment and 95 with speech impairment.

“We should understand that only through sign language that we can fully understand the needs of deaf people. It is essential that we in the health sector should know how to speak their language because sign language is the only way to bridge the gap between deaf education,” Janairo said.

Training and education

Janairo said those who took part in the training will in turn train and educate health workers "for them to be able to understand the needs and concern of deaf patients.”

So far, the DOH said its Metro Manila unit has trained staff members of government health facilities and other specialty hospitals in Metro Manila.

The DOH also said the four-day workshop seeks to increase the understanding of LGU coordinators and Health Education and Promotion Officers (HEPOs) on sign language.

It likewise aims to boost their understanding of the deaf culture to strengthen their knowledge and their communication skills.

Such a program will provide them the training to allow effective communication with deaf persons in the health care setting and enhance their skill in the Filipino Sign Language, the DOH said.

Participants in the training included coordinators and HEPOs from the 16 local government units of Metro Manila, including Caloocan, Las Pinas, Makati, Manila, Pasig, Taguig, Valenzuela, San Juan, Navotas, Malabon, Muntinlupa, Paranaque, Pasay, Mandaluyong, Marikina, and Pasig. — BM, GMA News

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