Lack of proper care Handicapped in Yemen fall prey to poor management [Archives:2003/06/Health]

SALAH SALEH AHMED
FOR THE YEMEN TIMES
When we hear to the word “handicapped”, the first thing that comes to your mind is that they comprise people with disabilities.
Talk of this class should arouse the feelings of mercy and compassion within us.
Basic services have to be provided to them such as, education, health services, training courses, transportation, and rehabilitation.
In order to ensure a permanent existence for this class, services such as institutes, training centers, organizations, and societies have to be established.
The most important thing for them is to grant financial resources.
Organizations and societies which do no take care of this class cause them to suffer from deteriorating conditions. This is clearly detected when paying rent for buildings and therefore they can be at any time forced to leave such buildings.
There is also a sharp shortage of the social and health services.
Republic decree No. 5 for 1991 refers to establishing the Supreme National Committee for the Handicapped Rehabilitation and Care.
Republican decree No. 6 for 1991 was also issued. It dealt with the conditions of the handicapped including the visually, mentally and physically handicapped in 15 governorates in the republic.
In addition to this, the activities of the Handicapped Rehabilitation and Care Fund has been reactivated along with establishing the National Federation for the Handicapped.
Funds’ had been increasing from YR. 3 million in (1991-1998) to YR. 3.5 million in 1999, but then dropped to YR. 2.5 million in 2002.
The experimental project to alleviate poverty among this class has been prepared and presented to the Arab league.
This project has been approved by the Arab League at the cost of USD 50.000 to finance the project.
It was entrusted to the Ministry of the Social Labor Affairs, the fund’s board of directors and the Supreme National Committee for the Handicapped Rehabilitation and Care.
During its second meeting held at the cabinet office in Sana’a , a number of decisions were made in the presence of Abdulkareem Ismael al-Arhabi, the Minister of Social and Labor Affairs, the vice chairman of the Supreme National Committee, Ahmed Mohammed Sofan, the Minister of Planning and Development, Dr. Abduannaser al-Munaibari, the Minister of Public and Health and Population, Waheeba Fara’e, the State’s Minister for Human Rights, Ahmed al-Kuhalani, the Mayor of Sana’a, the deputy finance minister, and the deputy minister of vocational and technical education.
The meetings focused on:
– Employing one of the handicapped at all the governorates of the republic.
– Reshaping the work plan of the fund.
– Increasing the fund budget from YR 50 million to YR 100 million in 2002.
– Nominating an executive manager for the fund under the condition of running a healthy free competition.
Beginnings of problems
Favoritism and patronage is one teething problem that has occurred within the administrative and executive posts.
Within the issuance of the cabinet’s decree No. (724) for 2002 to appoint Nour Mohammed Babad as an executive manager for the fund, condemnation and protestation telegrams were sent by the handicapped in the 15 governorates of the republic for substituting the former executive manager of the fund.
According to what the handicapped say, the new executive manager is not for the benefit of the them and doesn’t serve their interests.
Nadia Mohammed Sabr al-Ansi, the Chairwoman of Eradah Association for the Blind Rehabilitation and Care, Dhamar governorate said: “The number of the of the acoustically handicapped have reached 6,080 including 1,096 who are deprived from the basic services and they are in a total seclusion of their community.”
As for the difficulties encountered by the association is the indebtedness, that is attributed to inadequacy the financial resources allocated by the government.
“In addition to this, there is no premises for and the association’s incapability to employ the blind and deaf people,” she said.
Some of the handicapper’s fund in the Dhamar city has been still outstanding and some have been followed by the National Handicapped Union.
The committee members were formed by the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, the fund of the handicapped rehabilitation and care and the National Handicapped Union to conduct field visits to the handicapped’ associations.
There are also difficulties encountered by the physically handicapped in Ibb, said Yahya Shamlan, the chairman of the association:
“The main difficulty is represented by unavailability of fixed resources. No reaction from the capital businessmen have been showed. The lack of knowledge or understanding on the part of the public is also another problem.”
The geographical location of Ibb’s governorate also constitutes a problem for it is away from the organizations which support the handicapped societies.
We at first thought that the issuance of the republic decree No. 2 for 2002 was a suitable solution related to the fund of the handicapped rehabilitation and care a satisfactory solution.
But we are taken aback by the decision to change Ahmed Qasem Shuga’a Addeen and the suspension of the financial allocations for the handicapped associations.
This has resulted in suspending the functions of some associations and they are under the threat of being deteriorated at any time. This is also ascribed to other reasons such as, inability to pay rents or repaying water, telephone or electricity bills.
In a letter dispatched to the prime minister, the minister of the Labor and Social Affairs, and to the Chairman of the Board of the Directors, the National Handicapped Union expressed their point of views regarding reconsidering the decree’s appointment.
Waste of time
The series of protestations against and the refusal to issues directives from the cabinet to freeze the former decree of arrival of the Minister of the Social and Labor Affairs.
On the other hand, a temporary committee for nomination was approved, supervised by the Minister of the Social and Labor Affairs in order to elect an executive manager for the fund.
At another level, those who are eligible have to meet the required conditions.
As a matter of fact, there is a possibility to avoid such labyrinths, and what has been proved rightly is that the decree No. 7, which was adopted during the 2nd meeting for the Supreme National Committee, has stipulated that the process of nominating the executive manager has to be submitted to a health competitive atmosphere.
Complete farce
Such labyrinth haven’t finished yet. It’s a complete farce.
Until the end of September 23 2002, the fund’s works have been suspended
There was a certain slowdown on the parts of the committee’s tasks and a clear testimony of establishing less contacts with the Minister of the Social and Labor Affairs and the Chairman of the Board of Directors for approving work mechanisms.
The worst thing is that the committee has rented another building and this has added fuel to the fire. The committee was in short of financial gains and thus the handicapped have fallen prey to such procedures.
This constitutes a breach against the committee’s tasks because it is the task of a permanent executive manager.



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