Red Cross warns about the problem of unavailability of medical and orthopaedic aids for disabled persons.
Croatian Red Cross announced on Thursday that it would launch a humanitarian project to rent out medical and orthopaedic aids. The goal is to warn the public about the unavailability of aids which would make life easier for people with disabilities. The problem puts them at a disadvantage, particularly those vulnerable persons who are in a difficult financial situation, reports N1 on February 9, 2017.
Red Cross said in a statement that in Croatia there are more than half a million people with disabilities, and 760,000 people have difficulties in performing everyday activities. The most common reason for the unavailability of medical and orthopaedic devices is difficult financial situation, with disabled persons not being able to buy or borrow aids from private institutions.
There is also a problem when people with disabilities are not entitled to receive aids paid by the healthcare system, and even those who do have the right are forced to wait for a long time to receive them, so they do not get them in a timely manner. “Data on the number of persons with disabilities in Croatia who have a hard time obtaining necessary aids are alarming”, warned the Croatian Red Cross.
They also stressed that in all parts of Croatia there are more and more disabled persons who are in need of a free rental of medical and orthopaedic devices, and that is precisely the need which is not being met. In order to change such a negative trend, the Red Cross wants to raise funds for the purchase of new medical and orthopaedic devices, by people donating money and used aids which they have at home and do not need any longer.
The project “Rental of medical and orthopaedic devices of the Croatian Red Cross” wants to focus the public attention on the unequal status of persons with disabilities, and it will be presented on 11 February during an event at the headquarters of the Croatian Red Cross in Zagreb.
“Although Croatia is a member of the United Nations and the Council of Europe and as such is a signatory of all major conventions undertaken to protect and promote human rights of disabled people, there are thousands of people with disabilities who daily experience social inequality”, warned the Red Cross in the statement.
