An Evaluation of Care policy of Disabled Children in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Background of Study
Significance and Justifications of Study
Definition of terms
References

Introduction

Recently, there have been varied views about whether programs of child care disability policies have been successful. Critics of policy implementation in Saudi Arabia have raised claims of lack of proper implementation of policies geared towards addressing disability in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (Morton et al 2002, pp 85-90) and (Shawky, Abalkhail and Soliman 2002, pp 61-69).

Today, issues of actualization of policies have continued to face numerous challenges at almost every phase and as such, stakeholder policy review is critical in ensuring that policy objectives are met to satisfactory levels.

This research endeavors to focus on evaluation of state of disability in Jeddah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (K.S.A). It further examines the contemporary policy issues ranging from constraints, successes and suggests future policy recommendations in order to reverse the current challenges that impede policy implementation.

The research shall use Jeddah as its study area while using abundant literatures that have been directed towards this topic in gaining an understanding of the key issues of child disability in Jeddah region, Saudi Arabia.

The research shall entail a focused examination of the diverse structural strategies to establish the usefulness of the policy to the anticipated community. The main aim of the study is to analyse the challenges facing disability policy care of in the K.S.A, Jeddah. Further to this, it also confines itself on analysing the possible improvements on the policy care of disabled children in the K.S.A, Jeddah.

Also, it aims to determine the pros and cons of care policy of disabled children in Jeddah. This analysis will help develop a new form of policy that shall be more robust in addressing child disability in Jeddah. The research outlines policy recommendations and gives insights that will help contribute to future researches on the topic. And the field in general.

An analysis of the related literature conducted reveals that though there have been significant successes reported about the child care disability policies, policy lags were still inherent and that the concerned authority has exhibited skewed approach to the implementation of policies dealing with disability.

This study concludes with a recommendation of a new form of policy implementation that would holistically address the challenges facing child care disability in Jeddah.

Background of Study

As nations move through the21st century with a renewed form of energy, there remains a commitment towards internationalization of industry, business, media and science. Policy plans and advocacy are being put in place for the awareness of basic rights and urgent needs for children with disabilities.

This attention has been given by many countries across the world and Particularly in Saudi Arabia; there has been focus on welfare of disabled persons since the inception of socio-economic programs two decades ago (Young 2002, pp 65) and (Simeonsson 2002, pp.1).

The government has been providing means to enable persons with disability to adapt to the society, life and environment while taking into account their intellectual, physical, psychological and livelihood characteristics. The government of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia emphasis the critical importance of human rights especially those touching on disability and the need to improve their welfare.

According to study report released in 2000 by Economic Bureau of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 48.80% of children aged zero and thirteen (0-13) years exhibited disabilities of some kind (JICA 2002, pp.3).

Further report revealed that disability was more prevalent in rural areas than in urban areas with disability rates of 59% and 41% respectively. These results have since generated impetus from both government and private sector with the view of designing and executing policies that would address this overwhelming challenge.

As early indicated, plans have been put in motion to ensure that policies on child care disability are addressed. A research conducted by JICA concludes that though medical statistics have been conducted by the government through the Ministry of Health (M.O.H), there has been missing regular reports including the absolute numbers, amputee population, types of disabilities and geographical distribution (JICA 2002, pp.7).

Due to lack of these factual reports, there have claims that policy implementation has taken a skewed and unidirectional trend with little or no attention to the needs of disabled in Saudi Arabia and particularly Jeddah.

Studies conducted suggest that institutions dealing with disability are most established in urban areas than in rural areas. Stakeholder review of this scenario has cited uneven distribution of infrastructure irrelative to disability distribution (Taneja et al pp 95- 100).

Critics of policy and implementation have used lack of or insufficient data (or information) and un-established needs as the basis of their ardent protest and ridicule.

Studies reveal that much attention has focused on disability health care while putting education and training within the confines of neglect and as such, little attention has been advanced to ensure self sustainability of persons with disability through access to employment.

Prevalence and incremental disability has majorly been accounted for by close intermarriages between close families more than factors relating to socio-economic status of people in Saudi Arabia. The current status of health care reports that the royal family continues to offer support to both private and public organizations to help establish facilities aimed at helping persons with disabilities.

Numerous donations are also raised by rich and wealthy people and families within the Kingdom. On the contrary, hospitals, Military, National Guard and Social Security continue to extend their services through their constituency obligation.

The extreme sensitivity of these organizations on persons with disability with claims of lack of statistics for security reasons have been highlighted as some of the major impediments of safeguarding the welfare of persons with disability in K.A.S (JICA 2002, pp.7). Studies conducted by Al-Gain (2000, pp 25-31) showed that there were numerous difficulties in conducting research on disability and its related issues in Saudi Arabia.

From the study, some of the inhibitors included the nature of Saudi society such as the high incidences of intermarriages between close families and a feeling of shame as a result of disability of a member of a family (Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia 2002, pp 65).

To be more concrete, there has been lack of epistemological studies and researches that could contribute to data on dispersion of disability, type of disability and prevalence in Saudi Arabia. Lack of sufficient answers covering the actual or absolute figures about how many people in Saudi disabilities have is one of the major policy challenges facing the struggle to deal with the pandemic in Jeddah, K.S.A.

Significance and Justifications of Study

Child disability is a major impediment on the socio-economic and political wellbeing of a nation. Growth and childhood development programs across the world have recognized the need for promoting social, physical, psychological and intellectual developments of children.

Pegged on this significance, countries have since undertaken to design policies and procedures that would help cope with the challenges of disability (Kurjak, A. and Bekavac 2001, pp 178-182). Building on the situations and experiences of the industrialized nations, comprehensive plans, strategies and programs have been put in place in most of the developing countries to integrate child disability health care, nutrition, and education.

These programs have since generated results to some extend measured against their initial objectives (Wegman, 1999) and (Young, 2002). However, studies in health care and education have asserted that though health care plans and policy designed to deal with child disability have been successful to some observable level, there was still much to be expected of these policies (Simeonsson 2002, pp.1-6)

Ineffective policies and or lack good will of political, social or economic class have been quoted as the main source of impediments to the results.

A review of literature relevant to this research shows that despite programs to promote health childcare disability, policy plans in terms of funding and research on the contemporary challenges facing implementation of child care disability have been extremely limited and have only recently been given attention (Eide and Ingstad 2011, pp 139).

To narrow down, this research finds limited literature on the ongoing challenging, issues and successes of child care disability policies in K.S.A particularly in Jeddah. The study hence finds it critical in evaluating the current policy situation in Jeddah a most efficacious study with focus on whether or not policy objectives have been met in the recent past since their inception (Al-hano 2006, pp 55).

To support this mission, the research relies on the abundant reports that have cited numerous markers of unsuccessful policy implementation ranging from uneven distribution of facilities, skewed funding and lack of holistic approach to disability with neglect to training and education as part of policy implementation process (UNESCO 2006, pp 6) and (Al-Gain, 2002, pp 25).

This study will be useful in helping major policy stakeholders in the Saudi Arabia including the Ministry of health, Centre for population health and other private participants with the view to rethink the policy status of disability child care all aimed at ensuring efficient and sustainable policy and policy implementation in Jeddah.

Definition of terms

Disability: It is a value laden term that deserves much holistic view and approach in order to give an exclusive and viable definition. According to the Labor and Workman (Article 51), people with disability are defined as any other person whose ability to perform and consistently sustain a job has diminished due to either physical or mental infirmity (JICA 2002, pp. 3).

On the other hand, Al-Gain, and Al- Abdulwahab (2002, pp.1) defines disability within the confines of relationship between functional decrease, demands and environmental conditions. Based on this approach, disability can be defined as those functional challenges and inability to meet the environmental demands posed to an individual.

Child care disability policy: it refers to the fundamental frameworks, strategies and programs that have been advanced in the process of dealing with issues of child disability with the view to enable them adapt to the society, and their life and environment (Southern, Western and Eastern Area Child Protection Committee 2005, pp 65-85).

References

Al-Gain, S. Issues and Obstacles in disability Research in Saudi Arabia. Web.

Al-hano, I., 2006. The University of Wisconsin – Madison Representations of learning disabilities in Saudi Arabian elementary schools: A grounded theory study. New York: ProQuest.

Eide, A., and Ingstad, B., 2011. Disability and Poverty: A Global Challenge. New York: The Policy Press.

Kurjak, A. and Bekavac, I., 2001. Perinatal problems in developing countries: lessons learned and future challenges. Journal of Perinatal Medicine. 29(3) 179-187.

Marshall, C. A., 2009. Disabilities: insights from across fields and around the world. New York: ABC-CLIO.

Morton, R., Sharma, V., Nicholson, J., Broderick, M., and Poyser, J., 2002. Disability in children from different ethnic populations. Child: Care, Health and Development. 28(1) 87-93.

Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, 2011. Education and Health. Web.

Shawky, S., Abalkhail, B., and Soliman, N., 2002. An epidemiological study of childhood disability in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Pediatric Prenatal Epidemiology, 16 (1), pp. 61-69.

Simeonsson, R. J., 2002. Early Childhood Development and Children with Disabilities in Developing Countries. University of North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press.

Simeonsson, R.J., Lollar, D., Hollowell, J., and Adams, M., 2000. Revision of the International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities and Handicaps: Developmental issues. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 53, pp 113-124.

Southern, Western and Eastern Area Child Protection Committee. 2005. Intimate Care policy and Guidelines regarding Children. Web.

Taneja, V., Sriram, S., Beri, R., Sreenivas, V., Aggarwal, R., Kaur, R., and Puliyel, J. (2002). ‘Not by bread alone’: impact of a structured 90-minute play session on development of children in an orphanage. Child: Care health, and development. 28(1), pp. 95-100.

UNESCO., 2006. Directory of Early Childhood Care and Education Organizations in the Arab States, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, France. Web.

Wegman, M.E., 1999. Foreign aid, international organizations, and the world’s children. Pediatrics. 103(3), pp. 646-654.

Young, H., Buckley, A.E., Hamza, B., and Mandarano, C., 2002. Milk and lactation: some social and developmental correlates among 1000 infants. Pediatrics, 69(2), pp. 169-175.

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