Parliament rejects motion over failure to fund therapy for persons with disabilities

The Parliament on Tuesday rejected an emergency motion filed by a parliamentarian from the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) alleging failure of state institutions mandated with providing healthcare and social protection to persons with disabilities.

The Parliament, in which the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) holds a supermajority, took the vote on whether to accept the motion by North Galolhu MP Mohamed Ibrahim (Kudu) for consideration on Tuesday morning.

The motion was rejected with a majority vote of 44-12.

In his motion, Kudu accused the National Social Protection Agency (NSPA) and other relevant state institutions of failure to provide the special protection, financial aid and medical care that persons with disabilities are entitled to under Maldivian laws.

Key issues highlighted in his motion include:

• Families of persons with disabilities being forced to spend out of their own pocket due to failure of the state to cover therapy fees.
• Long waitlist at therapy centers.
• A rise in therapy fees.
• Persons with disabilities being denied the therapy they need due to shortage of therapists.
• Lack of availability of pharmaceuticals and other medical resources that individuals with conditions such as autism and ADHD require from local pharmacies.

Kudu said that the concerns come straight from families of persons with disabilities.

He said that the failure to address the issues have led to a deterioration in the quality of life of persons with disabilities, and is also causing irrevocable mental and physical distress.

With his motion, Kudu asked the Parliament to bring the issues to the attention of the government, identify challenges to resolving the issues, and work towards resolving the challenges to ensure that persons with disabilities receive the care and protection they are entitled to.