The National Policy for Persons with Disabilities was endorsed in 2019 with the erstwhile Gross National Happiness Commission or GNHC as its custodian. However, the implementation of the policy became unclear after the GNHC dissolved in 2022. BBS learned that the policy is now being reviewed by the Office of the Cabinet Affairs and Strategic Coordination as part of its Policy Consolidation and Harmonization project where over 50 policies are being reviewed. The Cabinet Secretariat said the disability policy will be integrated into other related policies to enhance implementation and make it more dynamic.
The National Policy for Persons with Disabilities 2019 is a comprehensive policy that intends to address challenges facing persons with disabilities.
The policy intends to enhance coordination among stakeholders to create equality and an inclusive society.
According to its action plan, the policy shall be reviewed every five years and revised if necessary.
Further, the lead agency is responsible for the annual monitoring and evaluation of related plans and programmes.
However, according to the stakeholders, there is no lead agency as of now after the GNHC dissolved.
“When the GNHC was dissolved, there was not a lead agency to monitor and follow up on the implementation of the provisions of the policy. So, I think, if the government can identify a relevant agency or a ministry to look after the fulfilment of provisions in the policy that will be very helpful and ease the challenges of persons living with disability,” said Namgay Dorji, the project manager of Ability Bhutan Society.
“All of us OPDs are very concerned because we are doing our level best to advocate the rights that are covered by the policy and the services that should be in place and all that. But now, we do not know whom to go to,” said Prashanti Pradhan, the co-founder and executive director of PHENSEM- Parents Support Group.
BBS learned that the National Policy for Persons with Disabilities 2019 will be integrated into other policies after the Office of the Cabinet Affairs and Strategic Coordination completes the Policy Consolidation and Harmonization project.
The office said that it has been working on the project for over six months.
Of the close to 50 policies being reviewed as part of the project, about four policies are related to social protection concerning persons with disabilities, elderly citizens, and children among others. After reviewing, the Cabinet Secretariat expects to integrate the policies to create a more coherent, inclusive, and effective policy framework and enhance implementation.
According to the 2017 Population and Housing Census of Bhutan, 15,567 individuals are living with some form of disability in the country. Of the total, 8,111 are female while 7,456 are male.
In addition, 3,055 persons with disabilities reside in urban areas and 12,512 live in rural areas.
Besides the National Policy for Persons with Disabilities, relevant stakeholders called for a Social Protection Policy to support people living with disabilities.
Social protection is a set of policies and programmes designed to reduce and prevent poverty and vulnerability.
“People with severe disabilities face the challenge of not being able to earn an income. They also need a caregiver to attend to them 24/7. This further affects the family’s income, as the caregiver cannot go to work,” said Dorji Phuntsho, the communication officer of the Disabled People’s Organisation of Bhutan.
“When a child with a disability is born in the family, the whole family becomes disabled and one of the things that takes a direct hit is your ability to earn. Now, to share my own story, I was in the civil service and I had to resign after my son was born I realised that nobody could take care of him the way I could, so we lost one source of income, there are so many like that,” added Prashanti Pradhan.
“When we plan and design programmes, people who have mild to moderate disability can somehow come forward to avail the opportunities. For those with severe disabilities, it is very difficult for them to come forward to avail the services even if there are opportunities for them. For them, I think the social welfare scheme plays an important role,” added Namgay Dorji.
The Cabinet Secretariat plans to strengthen the Social Protection system including providing targeted interventions such as creating livelihood and employment opportunities for Persons with disabilities.
The government has also allocated Nu 2bn for the implementation of a new social protection system for the welfare of vulnerable groups in the 13th Five-Year Plan.
The 13th Five Year Plan also includes initiatives to develop 10 cluster hospitals with disability-friendly features by 2029 to empower the vulnerable groups of society.
Additionally, inclusive schools for Persons with disabilities will be expanded to 120 schools across the country.
Currently, there are over 40 inclusive schools for persons with disabilities in the country.
Kinzang Lhadon & Tashi Chezom
Edited by Phub Gyem
