"I hope people with disabilities will be treated equally as Indonesian nationals. ID number is a basic right of every resident, yet some of the residents from vulnerable groups are yet to receive their ID number," Yudistia said in a written statement issued in Jakarta on Monday.
The special staff deplored the fact that persons with disabilities cannot access public services as they are not registered, and therefore lack an ID number, despite being eligible.
"When we monitored the distribution of 225 thousand vaccine doses for people with disabilities in six provinces designated as COVID-19 red zones (from August to October 2021), some persons with disabilities were not registered for receiving the vaccine because they had no ID number," she noted.
Yudistia, who is a member of the deaf community, urged the central government to synergize with regional authorities and the National Commission for Disabilities and issue ID numbers to members of vulnerable communities, particularly people with disabilities.
"A resident who has an ID number will be convenient to be registered in various administrative services. With an ID number, people with disabilities will be able to access health services that become their basic need more easily," the special staff remarked.
With an ID number, people with disabilities will be able to access government benefits that they are entitled to during the COVID-19 pandemic and receive information about the benefit more easily, she said.
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"People with disabilities have rights to participate in government programs such as social benefits, economic recovery program, and other programs hosted by the authority. But to access those benefits, people with disabilities must have an ID number. I hope they will be facilitated to obtain their ID card to achieve an inclusive Indonesia that accepts all groups," Yudistia said.
The special staff pointed out that according to Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data, Indonesia has 22.9 million residents, equal to 8.5 percent of the Indonesian population, who have some form of disability.
"Indonesia currently has the National Commission for Disabilities. We hope, with the agency's presence, we can accelerate our effort to develop cross-sectoral communication, such as with the Home Affairs Ministry and the Population and Civil Registry Office, to register and promptly issue ID numbers for persons with disabilities," Yudistia said.
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Translator: Indra Arief P, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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