Handicapped may be left without prosthetic devices after benefits cancellation
And employees of the enterprise producing prosthetic devices and orthopedic footwear may be left jobless.
A member of the marketing department of the Belarusian prosthetic- orthopedic centre Natallya Perepyachai informed ERB about it.
Natallya Perapyachai: “They start phoning every morning. Everyone is afraid of the day of benefits cancellation. They say: “We cannot do it on time, what should we do?” Our products leave much to be desired but people are going to be devoid even of this. If benefits are cancelled, we will simply be procreating invalids in our country”.
People used to get the majority of the center’s products for free. Everything is paid with the budget money. Now they will have to buy everything on their own. For example, a pair of orthopedic footwear costs 200 thousand BRB. At least one pair is needed for a year. People suffering from cerebral palsy need several pairs. So the centre is getting ready to cut production short and people are getting ready for a reduction of the staff.
Natallya Perapyachai: “You know that life is very expensive. People cannot afford our products. Only a bathtub seat costs 160 thousands here while a Turkish bathtub seat costs 48 thousands in shops. We produce footwear and we also make rehabilitation devices -wheelchairs, children’s chairs. Of course there will be losses. We are afraid of staff reduction because our staff is rather big”.
The prosthetic- orthopedic centre’s staff is so big because all their products are hand-made. Moreover, every device and every pair of orthopedic footwear are made individually. To tell you the truth, orthopedic footwear is far from being fashionable but there is no choice.
Natallya Perapyachai: “For example, our orthopedic footwear is very expensive. I could understand it if it was fashionable and looked nice, but… You simply have nothing else to wear except for the huge footwear. And everything is made individually. That is why it is so expensive”.
The head of the Republican civil organization “Association of Invalids” Barys Zaturynski confessed to ERB that enterprises would not be able to solve the problem of supplying invalids with prosthetic devices and orthopedic footwear. Only the state can do it.
Barys Zaturynskі: “The problem cannot be solved by the association. And it will not be solved - it is the material side of the issue. The state deals with it in civilized countries. Our state cannot do it for our invalids. Everyone needing prosthetic devices or orthopedic footwear will have to solve the problem themselves”.
However, the head of the association of invalids hopes that the state will not leave invalids alone with their tragedy. It will help “categorically”.
Barys Zaturynskі: “Categorical assistance for invalids will remain. That is why everything will be taken into account when an appeal to the social care organization is sent”.
The head of the association refused to comment on the information that an invalid will have to prove the necessity of categorical assistance to a commission of officials from the District Executive Committee. However, he had a lot of remarks about the work of the prosthetic- orthopedic centre.
Barys Zaturynskі: “This prosthetic devices plant should better not blether. They should better make their products able to compete with Western ones. They should not keep producing crutches that used to be up-to-date 30 years ago”.
By the way, the project of the law “On Benefits” allocates 34.8 billion roubles for categorical assistance. The assistance will be given one a year. Only those whose income is lower than 120% of the living wage will be able to get a discount for their prosthetic device. The government allocated only 6.8 billion roubles for this kind of categorical assistance. It is not clear whether the money will be enough taking into account that the majority of invalids are poor.
A member of the marketing department of the Belarusian prosthetic- orthopedic centre Natallya Perepyachai informed ERB about it.
Natallya Perapyachai: “They start phoning every morning. Everyone is afraid of the day of benefits cancellation. They say: “We cannot do it on time, what should we do?” Our products leave much to be desired but people are going to be devoid even of this. If benefits are cancelled, we will simply be procreating invalids in our country”.
People used to get the majority of the center’s products for free. Everything is paid with the budget money. Now they will have to buy everything on their own. For example, a pair of orthopedic footwear costs 200 thousand BRB. At least one pair is needed for a year. People suffering from cerebral palsy need several pairs. So the centre is getting ready to cut production short and people are getting ready for a reduction of the staff.
Natallya Perapyachai: “You know that life is very expensive. People cannot afford our products. Only a bathtub seat costs 160 thousands here while a Turkish bathtub seat costs 48 thousands in shops. We produce footwear and we also make rehabilitation devices -wheelchairs, children’s chairs. Of course there will be losses. We are afraid of staff reduction because our staff is rather big”.
The prosthetic- orthopedic centre’s staff is so big because all their products are hand-made. Moreover, every device and every pair of orthopedic footwear are made individually. To tell you the truth, orthopedic footwear is far from being fashionable but there is no choice.
Natallya Perapyachai: “For example, our orthopedic footwear is very expensive. I could understand it if it was fashionable and looked nice, but… You simply have nothing else to wear except for the huge footwear. And everything is made individually. That is why it is so expensive”.
The head of the Republican civil organization “Association of Invalids” Barys Zaturynski confessed to ERB that enterprises would not be able to solve the problem of supplying invalids with prosthetic devices and orthopedic footwear. Only the state can do it.
Barys Zaturynskі: “The problem cannot be solved by the association. And it will not be solved - it is the material side of the issue. The state deals with it in civilized countries. Our state cannot do it for our invalids. Everyone needing prosthetic devices or orthopedic footwear will have to solve the problem themselves”.
However, the head of the association of invalids hopes that the state will not leave invalids alone with their tragedy. It will help “categorically”.
Barys Zaturynskі: “Categorical assistance for invalids will remain. That is why everything will be taken into account when an appeal to the social care organization is sent”.
The head of the association refused to comment on the information that an invalid will have to prove the necessity of categorical assistance to a commission of officials from the District Executive Committee. However, he had a lot of remarks about the work of the prosthetic- orthopedic centre.
Barys Zaturynskі: “This prosthetic devices plant should better not blether. They should better make their products able to compete with Western ones. They should not keep producing crutches that used to be up-to-date 30 years ago”.
By the way, the project of the law “On Benefits” allocates 34.8 billion roubles for categorical assistance. The assistance will be given one a year. Only those whose income is lower than 120% of the living wage will be able to get a discount for their prosthetic device. The government allocated only 6.8 billion roubles for this kind of categorical assistance. It is not clear whether the money will be enough taking into account that the majority of invalids are poor.
