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First Lady Fazna Ahmed launches National Register for Persons with Disabilities.

Maldives launches national register for persons with disabilities

In February, the government had entrusted NSPA with the task of preparing the register.

6 January 2023

By Aminath Shifleen

A national register for persons with disabilities has been established and launched Thursday evening.

Creating a register for persons with disabilities is a huge demand of such families and organisations working for them. In the absence of a document, government agencies do not even know the exact number of persons with disabilities in the Maldives.

First Lady Fazna Ahmed inaugurated the register at a ceremony held in Alifushi to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

Speaking on the occasion, the president stressed on the need to have such a hierarchy. According to him, the main purpose of the document is:

  • Maintain information about persons and children with disabilities safely and easily

  • There, people and children in need of help can be divided into separate categories

  • Then the situation of each of them can be marked separately

  • It will also highlight the extent to which each person needs assistance and services to be provided

Another purpose of setting up the list, the president said, was that the information of people and children living in rural areas was also being updated day-to-day through the local council offices. He added that it would be much easier to provide financial assistance and other assistance to such people under the law.

In February, the government had entrusted NSPA with the task of preparing the register under a theme meaning ‘Proud Family, Compassionate Government'.

The president said that the most important thing that needs to be provided to the differently-abled is to ensure that the services provided are available where they live, depending on their needs. In order to provide this service, the government has so far conducted 'community-based rehabilitation programmes' in four atolls and trained service providers, he said. 

"Apart from this, the government is also working on providing financial assistance to differently-abled persons and children. The financial assistance programme for therapeutic treatment is also going on uninterruptedly," he said.

"The launch of this initiative tonight will also strengthen the delivery of the afore-mentioned assistance." 

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