The 3 day hunger strike of disabled people in Elbasan has ended today after the meeting with the Health Deputy Minister, who has promised the strikers they will receive the refused economic aid money and other benefits before the end of the year.
The Ministry has established the creation of special medical control groups that will make the necessary checks in the homes of each of the disabled people, affected by the recent changes. The latter were justified with a decision of the Council of Ministers that was never made publicly transparent.
A few days ago Top Channel presented one of the cases where the disabled Andrea Qosja was deprived of his hygiene and sanitary aid, as well as his payments halved.
He lost both legs at the age of 13, with no chance of recovery. Qosja was assessed as a lifelong invalid and enjoyed some rights until November of 2022 when an “interpretation” of law 8626 of year 2000 no longer qualified him as a paraplegic.
It took a full 22 years for the law to be reinterpreted and Qosja was then not considered paraplegic because according to the authorities, he is the father of two children, which, according to them, means that he has not lost all bodily functions.
The recent decisions of the Higher Medical Commission have affected a significant number of disabled people throughout Albania by stopping the payments of their economic benefits.
Top Channel
