USAID IMPLEMENTS SECOND STAGE OF SOCIAL SECTOR REFORMS IN ARMENIA

Noyan Tapan
Aug 24, 2007

YEREVAN, AUGUST 24, NOYAN TAPAN. The 3-day seminar-meeting "Increasing
the Accessibilty of Services to Elderly and Disabled Persons" organized
by the RA Ministry of Labor and Social Issues and the USAID program on
strengthening of Armenia’s social protection systems ended in Yerevan
on August 24. More than 100 social employees from all Armenian marzes
(regions) participated in the seminar.

The key subject of discussion was the efficient application of the
RA government’s decision No 453-N of April 12, 2007 "on the order
of provision of prostheses, technical and other auxiliary means of
rehabilitation, the approval of terms of using prostheses, technical
and other auxiliary means of rehabilitation and on recognizing the
RA government’s decision No 1780 of December 24, 2003, as invalid"
by local bodies of the above mentioned social service. The seminar
is expected to improve the quality of the social service and to help
decentralize the provision of internationally accepted social services.

The new decision took effect in April 2007 and allows disabled persons
to get a permit for receiving a prosthesis gratis directly from
territorial bodies that provide social services in the place of their
residence. By the previous order, such prostheses could be obtained
only by a permit of the RA Ministry of Labor and Social Issues. The
new order allowes elderly and disabled persons to receive a permit
or advice on the necessary assistance and social service directly
from territorial bodies providing social services in the place of
their residence. This will help considerably improve the quality of
assistance to vulnerable groups and to increase its accessibility.

In the words of Karmen Petrosian, head of the Unit of Problems
of Disabled Persons of the Ministry of Labor and Social Issues,
thanks to the new policy of provision of social services, elderly and
disabled persons will get their right envisaged by the law, that is,
the right to receive a permit at local level.

The chairwoman of "Mission Armenia" NGO – seminar participant Hripsime
Kirakosian underlined the importance of taking an individual approach
to vulnerable groups and the urgency of developing community social
services in the country.

According to a press release submitted to NT by the RA Ministry of
Labor and Social Issues, the USAID program on strengthening Armenia’s
social protection systems is implementing the second stage of social
sector reforms in Armenia in 2007-2011. The purpose of the program
is to strengthen Armenia’s social protection systems, improve the
institutional and personnel capacities of the RA government, and to
extend the opportunities of NGOs providing social services.