Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, has approved a package of recommendations adopted by the Committee for the Development of Services for the Disabled above 15 years of age. The Committee has recommended to the Ministry of Social Affairs to allocate five percent of the revenue of the productive families in Social Security for projects to rehabilitate, employ and support the disabled. The recommendation also refers to preparation of a new vocational rehabilitation program for the disabled in conformity with the requirements of the labor market. The program, however, is limited to those suffering from simple and partial disability and is meant to provide employment to this group of disabled youth. Another recommendation is about the expansion of centers for training and rehabilitation of youths suffering from severe disabilities besides developing and providing them with a trained technical cadre aimed at facilitating their integration into society and enabling them to earn their living. The Committee also recommended the expansion of rehabilitative programs besides extending financial aid to families caring for the disabled. The recommendations called upon the Ministry of Health to create a unified national record for the disabled in coordination with the concerned authorities besides promptly working on the establishment of a government health insurance system for the disabled. The ministry has been requested to clearly spell out the services offered by health insurance companies. Apart from this, the recommendations stressed the importance of creating special departments and units in the main public hospitals and Red Crescent Units for the treatment of the disabled involved in traffic accidents and spinal cord injuries. The committee also recommended the training of paramedics working in the Red Crescent and emergency departments in public hospitals on dealing with people involved in traffic accidents.
