Ombudswoman for children’s rights Maia Bănărescu, who now also serves as ombudswoman on an interim basis, asked acting Prime Minister Aureliu Ciocoi to examine the proposal to supplement the legislation so that the persons with special needs could benefit from the right to health insurance on the part of the Government, either they receive disability pension from the state or not.

The proposal was formulated after ta person with disabilities complained to the Comrat office of the Ombudsperson’s Office that he cannot benefit from insured medical assistance together with the other persons with special needs for the reason that he does not get a pension from the Republic of Moldova, IPN reports.

Maia Bănărescu said that the complainer is treated less favorably as regards the medical insurance from the state compared with other citizens with disabilities living in the Republic of Moldova because the person chose to receive a pension from another state, in this case the Russian Federation. The person had to buy an insurance policy at the own expense even if he was to benefit from free health insurance, as the other citizens with special needs living in the Republic of Moldova do.

The ombudswoman noted that as the state decided to provide a benefit to particular categories of people, this should be available to everyone equally, without arbitrary and unjustified limitations. Consequently, the current provisions of the law on mandatory health insurance create a discriminatory impediment against the citizens with disabilities with domicile in Moldova who get a pension from another state.

Also, the realization of the right to choose what state to receive old-age pension from cannot be a reasonable justification for not including these persons in the list of recipients of free health insurance policy.