Motion over failure to reimburse therapy fees resubmitted as a petition

A parliamentarian from the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has submitted a petition to the Parliament signed by dozens of parents expressing concern over failure of the state to cover therapy fees for persons with disabilities.

The petition was submitted on Tuesday by North Galolhu MP Mohamed Ibrahim (Kudu), shortly after an emergency motion he submitted over the same issue – in which he 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 - was rejected by the Parliament, in which the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) holds a supermajority.

The four-page petition details the challenges facing persons with disabilities and is endorsed by 47 signatories – all of them parents of persons of disabilities.

The challenges highlighted in the petition includes difficulties faced by parents, especially those living outside Male’, in communicating with NSPA, failure to respond to queries, the loss of important documents shared by parents, and unexplained delays in reimbursements for therapies required by individuals with autism and ADHD.

According to the petition, parents raised their concerns during a meeting on January 6 last year with Heena Waleed, the CEO of NSPA, and a meeting with Disability Council officials on February 21.

The key concerns raised during these meetings 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.

The petitioners expressed concern over the poor quality of services available from private therapy centers, and lack of availability of alternative options from public health facilities. They also expressed concern over lack of full coverage for therapy.

“A lot of us parents joined these aforementioned meetings because the incumbent administration gave us hope for a better future for our children,” reads the petition.

“…But we have faced nothing but hardship since the beginning of this administration.”

They asked for a parliamentary inquiry to identify the reason for the failure of NSPA to provide therapy and other healthcare services to persons with disabilities.

They also asked that the inquiry involves not just NSPA, but also the Disability Council, the Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM), and the Ministry of Social and Family Development.