"To ensure that inclusive program transformation innovations can run and increase in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are a number of things that must be done, one of which is equality for people with disabilities," Yudistia said during a virtual meeting held to disseminate information on the movement for population documentation of people with disabilities in Bandar Lampung on Thursday.
To realize equality for persons with disabilities, the first thing to do is to enable their population documentation, she added.
She said that so far, data on persons with disabilities are still in the form of estimates since it is difficult for many people with disabilities to get access to population documentation.
"Based on Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data, the estimated number of people with disabilities in 2020 was 22.9 million, or 8.5 percent of the total population of Indonesia, especially in Lampung, there were 759 thousand people. However, each region has different data because the data are only an estimation. This is a momentum for data improvement," she informed.
She said that data validation of persons with disabilities through the recording of their Population Identification Number (NIK) can help them to gain access to government programs.
“So, we will make the data for persons with disabilities valid; all parties are fully committed to providing access to data collection for persons with disabilities. Because many (people with) disabilities are constrained in accessing government programs, one of which is vaccination because they do not have a NIK," she explained.
Yudistia said she hopes that the registration of population documents of persons with disabilities would ensure equal access to health, social assistance, and various programs provided by the government for them.
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Translator: Ruth Intan S K, Resinta S
Editor: Sri Haryati
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