The government role in supporting institutions involved with persons with disabilities during the Corona pandemic

We embarked on “Keef Shaifha” tour, which is implemented by Wasla program of the Social Development Forum, as one of the youths who had taken training with the center, during the tour, we held a hearing with officials of the Palestinian Medical Relief Society, to ask and discuss the effectiveness of the services provided by the association to spare persons with disabilities the hardships during the Corona pandemic.

During the meeting, Dr. Bassam Zaqout stressed the government’s severe negligence, especially the Ministry of Social Development, which is the authority concerned with caring for people with disabilities, and indicated that the benefits provided to people with disabilities are now suffering from a gradual reduction in status, given the economic situation.

During the meeting with the youth, the association stressed the importance of the government’s focus on supporting the efforts of the relevant institutions, whose support can do progress to the society in general, and persons with disabilities in particular, and provide them with the best service, in addition to significantly reducing the negative effects of the epidemic situation on them as much as possible.

“The government in most cases places the burden on these institutions, whose role is not that major, compared to the role required of the government in these issues,” said the association during the meeting, confirming that the government and the Ministry of Development should take a bigger and broader role.

One of the most prominent things that “Medical Relief” talked about is what the ministry has done in passing many of the articles that were included in the Palestinian Law for Persons with Disabilities issued in 1999, that would guarantee many of the rights that they did not obtain, despite the existence of that law within the Palestinian Basic Law.

In addition to many health aids, assistive devices, physiotherapy centers, community-based rehabilitation services, and mobile care committees that provide health care to those who need it inside their homes.

Dr. Zaqout emphasized that the association would coordinate with other relevant institutions in order to improve services for people with disabilities.

Among the things that were called for, is the formation of a higher council to follow up the provision of services to people with disabilities, but the responsible authorities confirmed that this is rejected in the Palestinian constitution as it eliminates the functions of ministries, which asserts the government’s role in being one of the reasons for not providing adequate services to people with disabilities.

In the end, we make sure that both sides place the burden of the problem on the other, so this policy is a fundamental reason for the problem crystallizing at all levels, which requires work to overcome and change it, in order to improve the reality of persons with disabilities.