The Parliament discussed amendments in legislation on social protection of people with special needs

The Parliament of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic considered in the first reading the Government's legislative initiative aimed at improving social protection and providing the necessary assistance to children with disabilities and people with disabilities of group I. The proposed amendments and additions to the law “On Social Protection of the Disabled” include the introduction of new concepts such as technical means for the rehabilitation of the disabled and the creation of the State Register of the disabled.

153 disabled and immobile children with disabilities, as well as 301 disabled people of group I, live in the republic, according to the data of the Ministry of Healthcare of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic as of May 1, 2022. it will be necessary to allocate 5 million 917 thousand 788 rubles a year from the republican budget, 845 thousand 967 rubles per year to provide anti-decubitus mattresses, pillows and sanitary chairs once every three years to provide these categories of disabled people with diapers, disposable diapers, urinals, colostomy bags and other necessary care products.

The law-in-draft introduces a new concept of “technical means of rehabilitation”. This will make it possible to unambiguously identify and list the types of such funds that are used to compensate for or eliminate persistent disability in people with disabilities. Such means are: special means for transportation (wheelchairs), special means for education (literature for the blind), special means for care (anti-decubitus mattresses and pillows, diapers, disposable diapers, urinals, colostomy bags, chairs with sanitary equipment), prosthetic products (orthopedic shoes, eye prostheses, hearing aids, glasses for vision correction).

The law-in-draft proposes to introduce into the state information system a register of persons with disabilities, which will accumulate information about the group of disability, restrictions on life, impaired functions of the body and the degree of loss of professional ability to work. This information is managed today by different organizations and access to it in real time is difficult. The creation of a unified register of disabled people will make it possible to quickly obtain information on the number and state of health of people with disabilities, improve coordination of work between various organizations and state authorities that provide support for disabled people, and allow for an analysis of the socio-economic situation of this population group, the explanatory note to the legislation.

It is proposed that the law-in-draft enter into force upon signing by the President, with the exception of the paragraph on the creation of a state register of persons with disabilities, which is proposed to enter into force in 2024.

The Social Policy Committee together with the relevant ministry will continue to work on amendments to the law "On Social Protection of the Disabled" in the second reading.