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Disabled People Will Start Protest Demonstrations

January 28, 2008
In Georgia, ten thousands of disabled people lost social allowances. They suffer from Diabetes, blood-circulation problems, oncologic, psycho-neurological and liver diseases. These people lost their allowances in May of 2007. Amendments to the “Status Definition of Disability” were made according to the resolution of the Minister of Labor, Health and Social Welfare on February 27 2007. In parallel to it regional bureaus of the Medical-Social Expertise were closed down.

Since that time, Agency for Social Subsidies grants allowances based on the documents issued only by those medical institutions which provide general or specific medical assistance alongside various medical researches.

Before that, Bureaus for Medical-Social Expertise estimated the level of disability in accordance to the corresponding documents drawn up by personal doctors; afterwards the disabled person was granted with allowance.

“Nowadays we receive the documents issued by local hospitals, out-patients and Tbilisi based medical institutions. Agency for Social Subsidies does not verify the status of disability of a person. We rely on the provided documents,” stated Khatuna Papunashvili, a representative of the Agency for Social Subsidies.   

According to official data, last year 1070 persons lost their allowances in Gurjaani district. Consequently, only 149 out of them could regain pensions.

“I have been suffering from heart arrhythmia, ischemia, tachycardia and many other serious diseases. Thus I was granted with the status of a disable person and received allowance during many years. The amount of the allowance was too small and was not enough for medicines either. But now I have not received that little pension since May of the last year. Although I still have status of disabled person, they say I cannot receive allowance. I have not taken medical treatment for eight months already because I cannot afford it. Consequently my health conditions have worsened,” said fifty-seven-year-old Ketevan Paposhvili.

Karlo Jobinashvili, a disabled person, applied to the local hospital to receive medical documents that are necessary to grant an allowance

“When I lost my pension I applied to the Gurjaani district hospital. Having examined me the doctor said although I did not have one leg and was really disabled person, he could not issue a document because in order to be granted with the allowance a person must have lost both legs. It was written in the new resolution of the Minister of Healthcare and they could not change anything,” said Jobinashvili.

Another disabled person Medea Elikashvili said that she also applied to the hospital after having been deprived from her allowance. She received all necessary documents on her illness and submitted it to the Agency for Social Subsidies. Despite her serious oncologic disease the agency did not grant the woman with the pension.

“I have a cancer; I was operated on in 2005. At the Tbilisi National Center of Cancer I was issued a special document and based on it I received allowance. I used to collect that money and than I could take treatment at Tbilisi Hospital twice a year that prolonged my life. Since May of 2007 I have not visited the doctor at all. I have neither money nor the police for free medical assistance. I see that my health is getting worse but I cannot do anything. I have sold everything valuable from the house before operation. If I sell my house now, who should I shelter then? I hope that our government will remember about us after elections,” said the woman.

Sofio Kumsiashvili, director of the “Union of Policlinics-Out Patients, Ltd” explained that the list of disease based on which people received allowances was shortened according to the resolution of Lado Chipashvili, former Minister of Labor, Health and Social Welfare in February 2007. They had omitted the following serious and most spread diseases: liver cirrhosis, diabetes, rheumatism, goiter, blood-circulation problems, cancer and many other diseases.

“Before amendments the list of diseases included many illnesses. Thousands of sick people did not lose their status of disability after the changes; however the level of disability is not basis for granting the allowance. For example, person with less grave disease (former third group of disability) shall not receive an allowance,” said Kumsiashvili.   

According to the non-governmental organization “Union of Disabled People” allowances were maintained for those people who are either dying or are in the poorest conditions. “Although Poverty Reduction State Program is implemented in the country, many socially excluded people could not involve that program for various reasons. Thus, the living conditions of the disabled people have worsened,” said Guliko Rostoshvili, the head of the Union.

According to the law, disability of a person results from serious diseases, traumas and mental problems and it causes temporary or life-long restriction of abilities. Similar people need social protection.

Disabled people intend to start protest demonstrations and demand allowances. According to the Human Rights Center the demonstrations will start in Kakheti region and soon it will spread all over Georgia.

“Almost everyday, people, who received allowances in the past, apply to us for help. We think that most of them deserve allowances because of their health conditions. However they cannot receive the assistance from the state yet because of the bureaucratic barriers existing in governmental institutions. As far as we know the resolution of the former minister was a consequence of similar situation. Chipashvili claimed many citizens received allowance illegally. However, ten thousands of disabled people shall not become victims of somebody’s corruptive arrangements and interests.”

“During protest demonstrations disabled people will request the government to look through the “Regulation of Disability Status Granting”, and to protect their rights,’ said Lia Khuroshvili, the lawyer for the Human Rights Center.

According to the center’s information, last year 236 people died in Kakheti region as a result of worsened health conditions.

Gela Mtivlishvili, Kakheti

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