The administration on Thursday announced details of a revamped framework for disability financial support. The announcement follows President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's decision, following his cabinet's recommendations, to review and enhance the amount of disability financial support provided to persons with disabilities (PWDs) and introduce new benefits.
The announcement was made by Aishath Mohamed Didi, Minister of Gender, Family and Social Services; Miuvaan Mohamed, Spokesperson at the President's Office; Mariyam Shafeeg, Chief Executive Officer of the National Social Protection Agency (NSPA); and Ismail Azzam Wajeeh, Managing Director of Aasandha Company Pvt. Ltd.
The baseline disability allowance has been increased by 50 per cent following the revision, while new benefits have also been introduced that consider the situational severity and the types of assistive care required by PWDs. These changes would result in an overall allowance of MVR 6,000 to eligible PWDs, representing a substantial 200 per cent increase from the previous assistance. NSPA would publish additional details on these increments.
The administration is committed to establishing a robust network of services for PWDs. In 2019, it launched a programme to cover the treatment costs of PWDs. Additionally, the administration has developed and published the first-ever guideline in the Maldives for categorising PWDs.
The administration has also compiled a comprehensive register of PWDs, and to ensure the reliability of data management, a digitally constructed register has been implemented, which enables decentralised stakeholders to handle and access the data effectively.
