Committee for Labor, Employment and Social Protection: almost Br5 million will be allocated for the purchase of technical means of rehabilitation in the Vitebsk region
"The task for the current year is to provide TSSR to all citizens in need of them. The procurement of modern tyflotechnical means that meet modern technical requirements, which are developed jointly with the public association PO "BelTIZ", remains mandatory. These include smartphones, watches, devices for listening to audio literature, voice recorders," the committee explained. "This year, about Br5 million is allocated for the purchase of technical means of social rehabilitation. They will be provided to about 6.7 thousand residents of the Vitebsk region in need."
Specialists recalled that in November last year, Government Decree No. 798 was adopted, which amends the Decrees of the Council of Ministers of December 11, 2007 No. 1722 and of June 30, 2014 No. 637. According to the adjustments, a number of items are excluded from the State Register. These include insulin syringes, test strips for determining blood sugar, glucometers, artificial lung ventilation devices, aspirators, enteral feeding tubes, sanitation catheters, syringes, needles for intravenous and intramuscular administration of medicinal products. They will be included in the List of medical devices and diseases that give the right to be provided with these medical devices.
In addition, it is envisaged to provide citizens who are not disabled but require rehabilitation aids for medical reasons with a speech processor. The document also expands the list of categories of disabled people entitled to receive technical rehabilitation means (TRM) free of charge or on preferential terms. Additionally, certain rehabilitation aids will be provided free of charge to disabled people of Group III (walking cane for patients with lower limb dysfunction, individual crutches, orthopedic bandages, orthopedic insoles) and disabled children under 18 years of age (bathing aid (previously up to 12 years) and bath steps, tricycle (previously up to 16 years).
Disabled people of Group I will be able to receive bath steps at a 50% cost, which were not previously issued. Hearing-impaired disabled people of Group III will receive a light alarm clock; a digital signaler with vibration and light indication for citizens with hearing impairments (previously only for disabled people of Group I and II).
The committee added that a new type of TRM provision is being introduced – payment of monetary compensation for the costs of rehabilitation aids. Now people will be able to independently purchase, for example, a dictaphone or player, a mobile phone, a smartphone with speech synthesis and navigation software. They will also be able to purchase a device for listening to audio literature, a watch with a speech synthesizer, assistive devices for dressing, undressing, grasping objects, eating and cooking.