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needs to use expensive medicines whose costs are not covered or are only

partially covered by the universal health care coverage scheme, the

Disabilities Fund should be used to support the difference in cost of such

medicines.

52. Many persons with mental disability have not registered themselves

with the DEP and thus do not have a person with disability identification

card. This is because the parents fear that having such a card is a

stigmatization on their children. Currently, only some 100,000 persons with

mental disability have registered with the DEP while it is estimated that as

many as 600,000 such persons have not. There is concern that this group

of persons with mental disability may not have access to medicines that

are necessary for them to live a normal life and benefit from rehabilitation

and other assistance program which is offered only to registered persons

with disabilities. A number of persons with mental disability have a

misunderstanding that being registered with the DEP may affect their ability

to enter into contracts or their rights to inheritance. But a mental disability

is not a permanent trait. Once the person has recovered from such

disability, he or she can revoke her identity card as a person with disability.

Meanwhile, there is limitation to the issuance of an identity card for

persons with mental disability as the diagnosis of such disability has to be

done by a specialist. Hospitals generally do not have such specialists and

thus cannot issue an identity card to a person with mental disability. This

has to be done at specialized hospitals for mental illnesses and at present

there are only 17 such hospitals all over the country.