The Ministry of Labor and Social Insurance places high on its priorities the issues of vulnerable groups of the population and people with disabilities, said the Minister of Labor and Social Insurance, Kyriakos Kousios, in his address to the 34th Annual General Meeting of the Association of Cypriot Myopaths, in House of the Volunteer in Kokkinotrimithia. The greeting was read, on behalf of the Minister of Labor, by the Director of the Department of Social Integration of Persons with Disabilities, Christina Florentzou.
Mr. Kousios mentioned, among other things, that muscle diseases cause multiple problems at the individual and family level, requiring not only the provision of financial assistance to deal with the additional costs in the life of the myopath, but above all the provision of quality social care services , escort, supply of technological equipment, psychosocial support, support for participation and socialization.
He stated that the Ministry of Labor and Social Insurance places high on its priorities the issues of vulnerable groups of the population and people with disabilities and constantly takes new measures to improve their quality of life. A perennial goal, he continued, is to combat social exclusion and empower people with disabilities to remain active and integrated in society.
He added that he welcomes the recent new actions of the Association of Myopaths, the collaboration with the Organization Paraplegics of Cyprus and the expansion of the work of providing home care to members of the Association who need enhanced and specialized care.
In addition, he stated that work not only as a means of livelihood, but as a process of creative social integration and skill development is crucial for people with disabilities. The Ministry, he added, recognizing this importance, promotes policies and measures for employment alongside policies and measures for social protection.
“Taking into account individual characteristics and possibilities, we give options and ways out, both in the chapter of integration into employment and in the chapter of training and acquiring knowledge and professional skills,” he said.
He also stated that social protection through social benefits ensures an adequate standard of living and compensates for the costs that disability causes in life. “People with myopathies may be eligible for disability allowance under the Guaranteed Minimum Income, severe mobility disability allowance, care allowance for paraplegics or quadriplegics, mobility allowance, financial assistance for the purchase of a car, a wheelchair and a wide range of technical aids that facilitate daily life “, he noted.
Mr. Kousios stated that, always aiming to strengthen the role of people with disabilities in society and highlight their potential, “we will continue, as a Ministry, to focus our efforts us in eliminating stereotypes and prejudices, as well as strengthening respect for their rights, promoting their equal participation in all areas of their lives.” Already, he added, “we have promoted a number of new actions and measures which are recorded in the first National Disability Strategy 2018-2028 and the National Disability Action Plans 2018-2020 and 2021-2023”.
He also said that an important reform is the government's decision to create the new Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare, to which the Department of Social Integration of Persons with Disabilities will also be transferred from 1.1.2023.
