According to official figures, 6-10 million people with disabilities live in Turkey, based on various research studies. However, access to employment and income opportunities for people with disabilities is severely limited. The total number of disabled people employed is around 200,000, 65,000 of whom are civil servants. Benefits and social support for people with disabilities are determined on the basis of household income and not on the basis of the individual's particular circumstances. Although there are 6-10 million disabled people in Turkey, only 729,821 of them receive disability benefits. The total number of disabled people, including those who are employed and those who receive disability benefits, is 936,165. As of December 2022, the monthly allowance for people receiving disability benefits under the 2022 Indigence Law is only 1,124 Turkish liras. Those who care for severely disabled people at home will only receive TL 3,336 in care allowance. These amounts have been eroded by inflation and have lost their purchasing power. There are about 5 million disabled citizens who are neither employed nor receiving support.
The economic crisis and the currency shocks that have arisen under conditions of great poverty, unemployment and income scarcity have made living conditions more difficult for people with disabilities.
In these days when the minimum wage and the budget for 2023 are being discussed, we must emphasise that living conditions for people with disabilities have deteriorated. Difficulties in accessing basic medical care, assistive devices, nappies and medication have increased in recent years due to the economic crisis and poverty for many disabled groups. Those who continue to delay accessibility regulations are delaying employment, education and income opportunities for people with disabilities.
The regulation on applying for healthcare benefits should be revised to ensure that the payment deadlines and amounts for medical and medical technology aids used by all groups of disabled people are adjusted on the basis of the demands of disabled people's organisations in favour of disabled people. Access to medical, orthopaedic, prosthetic, medical devices, wheelchairs, hospital beds, adult nappies, special food and similar materials should be ensured both qualitatively and quantitatively. Scientific studies necessary to remove these materials from the rental and retail market should be supported. It is well known that the poor quality of local products and the inflated cost of imported products due to exchange rate shocks result in unbearable payment disparities for people with disabilities and their families. The financial burden of these necessary expenses for prescribed aids and necessities should be taken off the shoulders of persons with disabilities and their families.
We can cite the situation we are experiencing in many medical areas, with patient nappies and aids, as an example. Before 2020, the subsidy for patient nappies used in various orthopaedic disabilities, rare diseases and chronic diseases, especially subacute sclerozan panensefalit (SSPE) and Duchenne Muskler Distrofi (DMD), was sufficient to obtain a sufficient number of patient nappies and bed protection devices. Due to increased inflation and price increases in 2020, the support amount was only sufficient to purchase around 160 patient nappies. In 2021, this number, which was 120, had dropped to 30-35 in 2022. Although the amount of support has increased over the years, the number of patient nappies and bed protection devices that can be purchased has decreased. This trend applies not only to these patient nappies and bed protection devices, but also to all medical equipment, materials and medicines. Educational and rehabilitation aids for some disability groups have also declined in the wake of inflation. For technologies that are largely imported, such as hearing aids, exchange rate shocks have increased the initial purchase, refurbishment and other expenses for the devices.
There are particular problems with bills for disabled people, especially for medical equipment, ventilators and electrically powered mobility aids. It should be noted that millions of disabled people and their families are feeling the economic crisis in various dimensions, e.g. rent, housing, food and other aspects.
Finally, we are on the last day of Human Rights Week, which runs from 10 to 17 December. We emphasise that the awareness of being a human being with rights also includes the rights of disabled people as human rights. We are not giving up on our rights, our fight for rights and organising for them.
The public is respectfully informed.