TIRANA, December 3 /ATA/ Minister of Health and Social Protection Ogerta Manastirliu assured today that, “The government will guarantee more access to services, health, education, but also support for the reintegration into society of people with disabilities.”
On the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Minister Manastirliu participated in an activity organized in the premises of the Palace of Congresses in Tirana, where are exhibited the works of art of children and young people with different abilities.
Manastirliu stressed that, “Albania is among the first countries in the region to implement a payment reform, which does not assess only the clinical aspect of disability.”
“We have started the reform of payments, i.e. the financial support for people with disabilities, including for the first time children 0-2 years old, who previously were not supported by the state with direct payments,” said Manastirliu.
Speaking about the financial support for people with different abilities, Manastirliu said that a doubling and tripling of the payment is guaranteed for those who attend high school or higher school, in order to be employed.
“All those who have different abilities and continue vocational courses, high school or higher school are supported with 200% of the payment or 300% of the payment so that to continue to attend the high school, or higher school or vocational training. We want to ensure that these people with different abilities can then be hired. Through the new social assistance law that we approved two years ago, we have enabled whoever works and who is a person with different abilities not to be deprived of the payment he receives from the state, precisely to meet all those needs that he has “, said Manastirliu.
Emphasizing that in the government’s policies, priority has been given not only to support with direct payments for every child and adult with different abilities, but also to the necessary social services, Manastirliu said that the Social Fund is supporting services in the territory.
Minister Manastirliu said that one of the most important objectives is to reduce bureaucracies for receiving services.
In the activity organized in the framework of the World Day of Persons with Disabilities, Minister Manastirliu said that more commitment is needed to do more for the integration of persons with disabilities in society.
There are 163,155 people with different abilities and their caretakers who benefit from the payment of disability nationwide from the state-funded social protection program./m.m/j.p/r.e/p.s./
