Prishtina, December 2, 2024
On the occasion of marking the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, together with the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Finance, Labor, and Transfers, Agon Dobruna, visited the HANDIKOS Resource Center.
During this visit, Prime Minister Kurti emphasized the continuous commitment of the Government to the improvement of the conditions and social inclusion of persons with disabilities in Kosovo.
In this line, the close collaboration between the Government and HENDIKOS was discussed during the drafting of the new regulation for the assessment process of paraplegic and tetraplegic individuals. The new regulation approved in August of this year addresses the major issues caused by the previous regulation and poor assessment.
The main changes in this regulation include the removal of reassessments which will now only be carried out in exceptional cases; the avoidance of bureaucracy and the streamlined assessment process, as assessment is now done by a single commission in the Ministry; the regulation also provides for home visits by the commission for individuals who, for various reasons, are unable to appear physically before the commission and enables online application through the e-Kosovo platform to facilitate access for beneficiaries with disabilities; the increase in the accountability of the new commission, which will consist of contracted doctors and professionals reporting to the Ministry; as well as the inclusion of social needs assessment for Paraplegic and Tetraplegic individuals, aiming at social inclusion and independent living.
Compared to the regulation, the Government of the Republic of Kosovo has also increased pensions for the categories of Paraplegic and Tetraplegic individuals by 20% this year, while in 2023 a total of 3006 beneficiaries were supported with a budget of €11,474,669 from the Scheme for Compensating Paraplegic Persons.
For the first time, a law for deaf people has been introduced and a concept document for sign language services is being developed. Also, legal documents in Braille for the blind have been published, while 339 assistants for children with disabilities have been hired.
The government highlighted that it has approved the inclusion of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the Constitution, as an important step towards strengthening the rights of this category, and on the other hand, has finalized the National Strategy for Persons with Disabilities 2025-2030, which is expected to be approved soon.
Prime Minister Kurti thanked everyone for their hospitality and emphasized the readiness for closer cooperation in the service of improving conditions and social services for persons with disabilities.
Last modified: December 6, 2024