Gyeonggi to implement personal assistant program for the severely disabled

On the 9th, Gyeonggi province announced its new plan to support severely disabled citizens and those of who survive with the poverty allowances.

In 2007, approximately 4,200 persons of the disabled are expected to benefit thru this program, which will be allocated with KRW7.6 billion of a budget.

As Ministry of Health and Welfare finalize its policy regarding the implementation of this new program, local province will form a Task Force Team with the representative of Disabled Committee, public officials, and the experts who majored in this field of study to find out the actual demand to be. Also, the open competition will be held to select the operating agents which will then be followed with the training.

Gyeonggi has been the only region throughout the nation where low-income disabled are able to get assistance and supports from the local government. Since November last year, such province has been implementing a disabled supportive program, so-called ‘Living Helper for You’, which is very similar to the ‘Personal Assistant Program’ that is to be executed from next year as mentioned above. Just in this year, local had invested KRW1.0 billion for such program to dispatch 15~17 helpers at each of 16 houses of the disabled of Gyeonggi who provides child care services, personal & living supports, nursing, and etc.

Regardless of Gyeonggi’s efforts to support disabled, a few unofficial organizations illegally formed are requesting for an authority to remain as a sole provider and sole participants in establishing regulations and rules and providing services regarding the execution of this new program. They also claimed to cut down the budget to expand nursing home facilities but to raise support for the ¡？Personal Assistant Program’. There is also an Agreement unilaterally sent by this unofficial organization specifying that on the top of the budget already allocated, totaling KRW7.6 billion, another KRW10.0 billion of the provincial budget should be added as an autumn budget. With those requests, they are still on their illegal demonstration. Against this, local province will formulate an ordinance based on the ‘Law of Disabled Welfare¡？ which will soon be revised and finalized.

“Facilities for severely disabled still lack in number whereas such populations are continuously increasing. So, we will continue to expand the facilities for the disabled. Also, the personal assistant program for the disabled will be implemented based on the plans and standards to be given by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Any thing unsatisfactory re this newly implemented program will be supplemented thru various measures. So after a certain time of adaptation and testing, we may be able to consider on increasing of a budget.” said the official from the local province.