Approximately 3.9 per cent of the population, or 108,000 persons, are living with disabilities in Mongolia. In order to better meet the needs of persons with disabilities, the Government of Mongolia introduced the conditional cash transfer for carers (CCTC) of persons with disabilities. The CCTC is designed to improve the quality of care provided to persons with disabilities and is implemented by the Ministry of Social Welfare and Labour.
The CCTC scheme is available to Mongolians of all age groups, including children, older persons and to adults of working age who have lost at least 50 per cent of their capacity to work. The CCTC is also available to older women over the age of 55 and older men over 60 years of age. The level of coverage is received in the form of care as the programme provides full-time caretakers for people in need of permanent care. Persons with disabilities are also eligible to receive vouchers for prosthetic and orthopaedic equipment, with equipment provided either free or at discount to both children and older persons. Adults with a disability are also eligible depending on the support they receive from other public schemes. Both schemes together have been found to alleviate the financial burden on caretakers, who are often close relatives of the person with disability, and allow persons with disabilities to participate more fully in the communities in which they live. In 2012 the CCTC provided approximately 20,000 persons with disabilities with access to full-time caretakers.
Mongolia’s commitment to the rights of persons with disabilities has been marked by the Ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2009 and the prior passing of the Social Security Law for Persons with Disabilities in 1995, later amended in 1998. While the CCTC demonstrates a strong State commitment to the protection of persons with disabilities, the application process has been reported as very lengthy and could be simplified, specifically for those with severe disabilities. Nonetheless, schemes such as the CCTC are essential in building Mongolia’s social protection floor to ensure that all in need have access to basic services, including all persons with disabilities.
Further Reading:
- Asian Development Bank (2015). Social Protection Brief: Mongolia’s programs for conditional cash transfer for carers and vouchers for prosthetic and orthopaedic equipment. Accessed from: http://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/154039/social-protection-brief-mongolia.pdf on February 18, 2016.