Persons with disabilities to benefit from improved rehabilitation services; approx. 2.5-million-dollars-worth project launched by Moldova's Labour and Social Protection Ministry

Persons with disabilities, during the next two years, will benefit from improved rehabilitation services, modern equipment and assistive devices tailored to individual needs. The actions will be carried out through the project titled, Improving the inclusion of persons with disabilities through increased access to medical treatment, rehabilitation and assistive devices in Moldova.

According to the Labour and Social Protection Ministry (MMPS), approximately 160,000 people of Moldova currently have a recognized disability, representing 6.7 per cent of the population with usual residence. Their labour force participation rate is 18.4 per cent, compared with 48.1 per cent for persons without disabilities. Access to rehabilitation services and assistive devices is limited by outdated equipment, lengthy waiting periods and complex procedures, while caregiving responsibilities largely fall on women in the family.

Besides the modernization of equipment, a digital case management system will be developed and an Innovation Lab will be established in partnership with universities, in order to design and test assistive technologies. At the same time, based on identified needs, wheelchairs, walking frames, canes, prostheses and specialized glasses will be purchased and distributed.

“We want persons with disabilities to have access to quality rehabilitation services and the assistive devices they need to lead an as independent as possible life. It is important to identify existing barriers and improve services based on the needs of beneficiaries,” said Labour and Social Protection Minister Natalia Plugaru.

The project was presented during an event held at the Republican Experimental Centre for Prosthetics, Orthopedics and Rehabilitation (CREPOR). It is being implemented by the MMPS, together with the United Nations Development Project (UNDP), with a budget of 2,497,391 dollars, provided by the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA), through the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund.

It runs starting from October 1, 2026, till September 30, 2028, and represents the first trilateral cooperation project between the government of Moldova, the Government of China, and UNDP.