‘Treat disabled with integrity’
THE Government is in the process of implementing a number of programmes to ensure provision of rights based social services and rehabilitation of people living with disabilities, Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Prisca Mupfumira has said.
Addressing representatives of people living with disabilities during a meeting at the NSSA Workers’ Compensation Rehabilitation Centre in Bulawayo on Wednesday, Minister Mupfumira said people living with disabilities were an important group that needs to be treated with integrity.
Minister Mupfumira was invited by people living with disabilities to discuss issues of concern and map the way forward.
“My Ministry is mandated to provide social protection services and co-ordinate disability issues. In line with this mandate a number of programmes are being implemented to ensure provision of rights based social services and rehabilitation of persons living with disabilities.
“Theseprogrammesincludetheprovisionofmaintenance allowances, vocational training fees, medical assistance, micro finance, institutional administrative support and educational support to learners with disabilities in primary and secondary schools,” said Minister Mupfumira.
She said the Constitution created a number of obligations for the State. “The Ministry is in the process of aligning the Disabled Persons Act and I will ensure that this process lives up to our promise of ensuring consultation of persons with disabilities from the design state right up to conclusion of due processes in an effort to ensure that people living with disabilities are treated with integrity.
“Legislative alignment will, however, not stall or lead to cessation of the process of coming up with a National Disability Policy to operationalise provisions in the various pieces of legislation that relate to disability,” said Minister Mupfumira.
She said despite resource constraints that the country is facing, it was important to contribute to the development of persons living with disabilities.
The Minister said a gap has arisen between some disabled persons’ organisations and people that they should serve as evidenced by recent events.
“Some destitute persons with disabilities continue to inundate our offices articulating issues that may no longer be prioritised by the registered organisations.
Zanu-PF’s secretary for the disabled and disadvantaged, Cde Joshua Malinga, said the purpose of the meeting was to fight stigma. — @pamelashumba1