We must pay more attention to people with disabilities who live alone

After noting that the big fire have caused the deaths of several citizens with certain disabilities, rendering them unable to save themselves, Fraction of MAN calls for more specific attention to the protection of these individuals in our community.

The protection should lead to increased protection of residents with certain disabilities, who are often threatened and lose their lives because they are alone at home. Some people with disabilities are often unable to take care of themselves when they need to, because their disability simply does not make this possible.

Some are on bed, some are mentally handicapped, some are in wheelchairs, some of us are elderly and others in our homes. These citizens do not have a level of self-survival that someone without these limitations would have. In the case of fire, for example, these people’s self-survival is 100% dependent on a third party.

In order to enhance the protection of these citizens, more needs to be done for relevant persons to do what is necessary to act, if an incident occurs, and the person, whether to be helped, rescued, evacuated or a safer protection system, is outside the ministry’s control. Perhaps a way to put trusted people in the vicinity of the house on high alert, so that if something happens, they can respond immediately.

For this reason the MAN faction wants to understand the minister’s approach to this terrible situation.

In this frame the Fraction of Hands asks the following questions to the minister. Larmonie-Cecilia, from Social Development, Labour and Welfare (SOAW).

1. Has the Minister taken note of the recent unfortunate events related to people with disabilities?

2. Does the Minister have a policy of supporting families in such situations?

3. If so, has it been activated in recent fires?

4. What protocols apply in these cases?

5. Can you share this protocol with Parliament?

6. In terms of prevention, what concrete steps will the ministry take, so that we can protect our people as much as possible, a strategy together with other vitally important ministries related to this specific group?