Reduction in social services for people with disabilities

DISABLED associations in the province and throughout Spain are protesting against the draft law proposed by the Ministry of Health which they say will greatly reduce the quality of life of people with disabilities by cutting their economic capacity.

Around 500,000 people will be affected by the new measures proposed by the government, which is the number of people who qualify for the certificate of disability. 

The government is proposing to cut the budget for orthopaedics, with the new budget falling well below the level provided in 2000, meaning that those that require specialised equipment such as a wheelchair or a motorised wheelchair have a price limit; if the price exceeds the limit then the patient will have to pay the full price. For example, the government specified that a lightweight wheelchair cannot exceed €352 and an electric one cannot exceed €2,912. 

Critics say that the government has also not taken into account the lifespan of the products, nor the fact that in the case of children, they may outgrow the aid and so require a new one. The new measures may also have further far-reaching implications on the workforce employed in the industry sector, with as many as half of the workforce being affected by the proposed government spending cuts.