National Social Protection Agency (NSPA) has said the health condition of people with special needs living in the islands will be identified to provide them financial assistance.
Speaking at the Parliament Committee on Social Affairs, CEO of NSPA Ismail Azzam Wajeeh said the biggest challenge in providing financial assistance to people with special needs living in the islands is the lack of proper medical documents.
Shedding light on the matter, Azzam said specialist doctors will be sent to the islands to identify and inquire about the medical condition and assist in registering for financial assistance granted under Social Protection Act. He revealed task forces are being formed to visit the islands and ease the registration process.
Noting the administration provides financial assistance to people with special needs, Azzam mentioned there is no regulation compiled especially for people with special needs. He expressed efforts are underway to compile a regulation with assistance from Ministry of Gender, Family and Social Services to ease the standards to declare a person is in need of special needs.
Under the Social Protection Act, the administration grants USD 129 to each person as a monthly financial allowance. By the end of 2018, the administration was providing financial assistance to 7,700 people.