Government to provide certificates for free acquisition of prosthetic, orthopedic and rehabilitation devices
The government of Armenia decided today to provide certificates for free acquisition of prosthetic, orthopedic and rehabilitation devices.
Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Arsen Manukyan said certificates will be provided to certain categories of citizens, including persons with disabilities and citizens included in social programs.
According to him, this will allow people to purchase those devices, which are the most convenient for them.
He said the certificates can be used to acquire 77 types of prosthetic-orthopedic and rehabilitation devices, including wheelchairs and hearing aids. He added that the range of wheelchairs has been expanded from 4 to 70 types, and that of hearing aids from 2 to 20.
The deputy minister said also that the budget has earmarked 921 million drams for 2019 for acquisition of such devices, almost as much as in 2018. In his words, some 11.5 thousand devices are provided annually to 6-7 thousand beneficiaries.
As part of the program, in 2018 some 450 wheelchairs were provided with a three-year warranty service. The cost of a wheelchair that be acquired by the certificate is 95 thousand drams. The minimum cost of a wheelchair is set at 55 thousand drams. The certificate for the purchase of hearing aids will be limited to 30 thousand drams, for children – to 80 thousand drams.
If the beneficiaries would like to acquire more expensive devices, they will have to pay their own money for the difference. If the cost of the device is lower, the remaining amount can be used to buy spare parts. ($1 - AMD 484.55). --0--