Lawmakers on Tuesday urged government agencies to deploy sign language interpreters in state hospitals in order to help people who are dear or hard of hearing to access needed medical services.
During the virtual meeting of the House Special Committee on Persons with Disability, Chairwoman Maria Lourdes Arroyo stressed the importance of having sign language interpreters in hospitals, GMA News reported.
“Let’s say I’m deaf. When I go to a government hospital, how can I ask them for help? I can’t hear, I can’t speak. What can you do for us?” she asked.
Miramel Laxa, who represents the Department of Social Welfare and Development, told the committee they are currently capacitating their staff in their central and field offices to learn sign language so that they could effectively communicate with persons with disabilities.
“Although siyempre we have our CSO (civil society organization), NGO (non-government organization) partners na nata-tap din natin to provide sign language interpreters during court hearings, pero isa rin itong malaking challenge din on our part,” she added.
Arroyo asked the DSWD to put sign language interpreters in government hospitals, which Laxa said the department will take note of.
For her part, ACT Teachers party-list Representative France Castro also asked the DSWD for updates on the implementing rules and regulations of the Filipino Sign Language (FSL) Law.
The FSL Law, which President Rodrigo Duterte signed in November 2018, declares FSL the national sign language of the Filipino Deaf and mandates the use of the same in all government transactions involving them.
