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The State Councilrecently released a circular on establishing a rehabilitation system aidingchildren with disabilities, based on a pre-existing regulation on assisting thedisabled.

The system will befully implemented as of Oct 1, 2018, and provincial-level authorities shoulddraw up their respective assistance systems and corresponding policies by theend of September.

Noting that thereis a multifaceted link between this work and the prospects of the concernedcommunity, the well-being of all Chinese citizens, and social stability anddevelopment, the circular pressed for widely available guaranteed basic healingservices for disabled kids, relieving burdens for their families.

The system will beclosely connected with basic medical services and temporary assistance, amongother social insurance systems, ensuring the concerned children will haveaccess to timely assistance.

According to thecircular, the system will be rounded out by 2020, forming an assistance systemhelmed by the Party committees, governments and the China DisabledPersons’ Federation, with coordination from alldepartmentsconcerned and extensive participation of social sectors.

By 2025, thesystem will greet further improvements with robust service capacities andwidespread advanced insurance catering to the needs of the disabledchildren’s community, the circular said.

The target cohortconsists of eligible children at 0-6 years of age who suffer from visual, hearingor speech impairments, physical or mental disabilities, or autism.

That applies todisabled children raised in households with minimum subsistence allowances,registered poverty-stricken families and charity organizations, as well asdisabled orphans, disabled children categorized as persons in abject povertyand those from households facing financial difficulties.

Authorities atcounty level and above will define their basic service items in line with theactual local circumstances, including surgery, auxiliary equipment andrehabilitation training for the purpose of mitigating dysfunction, providingfunctional improvement, enhancing self-care ability and improving socialparticipation.

The aforementionedauthorities are also responsible for formulating related benchmarks forguaranteed expenditures and establishing a dynamic adjustment mechanism withfull autonomy, in accordance with local fiscal competence and the magnitude ofthe targeted community.

Funds forassisting disabled children will go to local governmental budgets, withmoderate subsidies provided by the central government if necessary.

In addition, thework will be fully in the charge of local authorities, sitting high on theiragendas and acting as a significant index for assessing administrativeperformance.

The China DisabledPersons’ Federation should work with the concerned departments tosupervise its implementation, address issues arising in the process and reportthem to the State Council if necessary, and the latter will organize specificinspections in due time.

SOURCE:https://appen.media.gov.cn/engovdata/goven/201807/10/422784/article.html