PRESS RELEASE
Ministry of Health and UNICEF launched the Community Based
Rehabilitation project for children with physical disabilities
DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, 7 December The Ministry of Health and UNICEF launchedaCommunity-Based Rehabilitation project for children affected by polioat a roundtable discussion. Eighty participants from Ministries of Health, Education, Labour and Social Protection, local authorities from 24 districts as well as representatives of international and national organizations took part inthis event.
There are over 430 children paralyzed by polio. About 21,400 children with disabilities are receiving disability benefits, about 2,000 are living in institutions including specialized boarding schools, while much less are receiving community based services including day care. “Children living with disabilities have the same rights as all children: the right to live in dignity and to grow in an environment that enables them to reach their full potential,” said Hongwei Gao, UNICEF Representative in Tajikistan.She further called upon the Government of Tajikistan to ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with disabilities which has been ratified by 96 countries since it was opened for signature in 2007.
“The Community-Based Rehabilitation project for children with physical disabilities including those affected by polio aims to ensure that children with disabilities are cared for in their communities,”said Ms. Saida Jabirova, the First Deputy Minister of Health. The project aims to provide a long term community-based rehabilitation support to more than 400 children who have been paralyzed as a result of the 2010 polio outbreak, from 40 Jamoats in 24 most affected districts in DRD and Khatlon regions.
The difficulties polio-affected children face are very similar to those faced by other children with physical disabilities, therefore, the focus of the project goes beyond the children affected by polio to cover other children who have physical disabilities in the districts this project is implemented in.
There is no cure for polio. So the only way to protect children from this debilitating disease is to ensure that all children are fully immunized against polio through routine immunization. To support children with other disabilities, early identification and early intervention are needed. Adequate care and referral, particularly easy access to community based rehabilitation services are important. Equally important are the fight against stigma and discrimination against children with disabilities. This calls the able society to support children with disabilities.
This project is implemented under the direct guidance and supervision of the Ministry of Health, with technical support from international NGOs and in collaboration with Ministry of Labour and Social Protection andMinistry of Education.UNICEF is providing technical and financial support.
For more information, please contact:
Ministry of Health of the Republic of Tajikistan:
Ms. Fatima Goibova, Press Officer
Tel.: +992 (44) 600 60 02 (office), +992 (918) 21 46 46 (mob.)
Email:
UNICEF in Tajikistan:
Mr. Alexander Sodiqov, Communication Officer
Tel.: +992 (918) 31 00 57
Email: