TIRANA, March 21 /ATA/ – By I. Vata/ Minister of Health and Social Protection, Ogerta Manastirliu, participated in an activity hosted by ‘Special Olympics Albania’ in Elbasan, on the World Down Syndrome Day, where she expressed the commitment of the government and local structures to extend tailored services for children with special needs throughout the territory.
“The Ministry of Health and Social Protection has already set up the Social Fund since 2019, which is an instrument that supports all municipalities to establish social services close to the community. During these years, even in this difficult time due to COVID-19 pandemic, we have supported 35 projects of municipalities and regions to establish social services, 12 of which are projects that directly support services for children and persons with disabilities, ” said Manastirliu.
Asked by reporters about the Social Resilience Package, Manastirliu said that the Social Resilience Package comes as a support for all those in need and there are more than 540 thousand citizens in total that benefit from the Social Resilience Package, including all the beneficiaries of our economic assistance programs who number more than 68 thousand families as well as all the beneficiaries of the social protection scheme. ”
On World Down Syndrome Day, Manastirliu made an overview of services and support for people with disabilities. MoHSP, through its policies, has expanded the map and typology of services, through a detailed planning process aiming for timely and quality coverage of services to children with Down Syndrome and their caregivers.
For children with Down Syndrome, services are also offered at Development Centers, 6 residential and 3 day centers. Meanwhile, through the Social Fund, MoHSP supports municipalities to establish and expand social services in the territory.
Also, 10 Community Mental Health Centers have been established and are operating at the national level. They provide multidisciplinary services for people with mental health disorders. Four of these centers offer services for children and adolescents through specialized multidisciplinary teams (psychiatrist for children and adolescents, psychologist, speech therapist, therapist, nurses) treating problems related to the mental health of children with Down Syndrome.
Through the Social Protection program, MoHSP guarantees direct payment for people with Down Syndrome and their caregivers, according to the new biopsychosocial assessment, which is conducted in 3 regions and is expected to be extended throughout the country.
