WILLEMSTAD - Parliamentarian for the coalition party MFK, David Seferina, has written a letter to Minister of Social and Labor Affairs, Ruthmilda Larmonie-Cicilia, regarding the concern surrounding individuals with physical disabilities who struggle with transportation barriers. 

The MP says that lately, citizens with physical disabilities have approached him with the issue of transportation. Due to the Social Insurance Bank’s (SVB) mismanagement of transportation services in this area, these individuals do not have access to the necessary means to be transported to specialists. This has caused significant frustration among persons with disabilities. This frustration arises from the fact that the majority of individuals with physical disabilities are either beneficiaries or lack the necessary income to afford these transportation fares. 

The parliamentarian mentions that after reviewing the census data from 2011, it shows a total of 24,302 individuals with physical disabilities, of which 9,684 are male and 14,618 are female. This emphasizes the need for the government to pay more attention to persons with disabilities since international treaties, such as Article 20, subsection (a), state: "Facilitating the personal mobility of persons with disabilities in the manner and at the time of their choice, and at affordable cost." Seferina urges the Minister to address this situation promptly because citizens with physical disabilities face transportation barriers every day and need to fight against them. 

For this reason, Seferina is asking if the Minister can explain if it is true that the SVB has changed its policy on medical transportation. The parliamentarian wants to see the documents to verify if that is the case. Additionally, the parliamentarian wants to know what measures the Minister has in place for providing "Pampers" for individuals with incontinence. If there have been changes in policy, the parliamentarian seeks to understand the impact of these changes and the contributions made. 

The parliamentarian continues by asking the Minister to explain the number of beneficiaries with disabilities who require social transportation. Furthermore, if the Minister is aware that the subsidy amount received by beneficiaries is insufficient to cover the costs of social transportation. 

Seferina wants to know if the government itself is able to purchase buses to provide transportation for individuals with social needs.