Party General Secretary Tô Lâm chaired a working session on the enforcement of Party and State’s policies and guidelines for persons with disabilities in Hà Nội on December 3. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam must shift from a medical and welfare-based approach to a fully inclusive social model when crafting policies for those with disabilities, Party General Secretary Tô Lâm said on Wednesday, urging laws to treat the disabled as active contributors rather than care recipients.

Chairing a working session on the enforcement of Party and State’s policies and guidelines for persons with disabilities in Hà Nội, which coincides with the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (December 3), General Secretary Lâm praised existing support policies, guidelines, and models in rehabilitation, inclusive education and employment.

Supporting the disabled is not just social policy but a hallmark of a civilised, humane and modern society, and a responsibility shared across the entire political system, he said, adding that effective policies must remove stigma, narrow inequality and turn them into drivers of national development. From this perspective, the policy framework needs to be designed in a more comprehensive and cross-sectoral manner.

The State needs to focus strongly on inclusive education, appropriate vocational training, preferential recruitment policies, accessible transportation infrastructure and public facilities, and accelerated digital transformation to ensure online public services and assistive technologies reach those who need them, he said.

In his view, social welfare policies must ensure a minimum standard of living, livelihoods and housing support, and legal assistance to enable genuine societal integration, he went on, calling for heightened community awareness, stigma elimination and greater private-sector and civil-society involvement in job creation and inclusive products.

He directed authorities to adopt drastic measures ensuring every child with disabilities is identified early, enrolled in school and given full integration opportunities.

The leader also stressed the need for solutions to prevent and address violence, neglect and discrimination, including user-friendly reporting channels and immediate local-level support, with extra protection for women and children with disabilities. Public campaigns must promote respect, solidarity and partnership, while administrative hurdles that block access to their legitimate rights should be swiftly removed.

According to the Ministry of Health, Việt Nam now has more than 8 million persons with disabilities. Those with severe and particularly severe disabilities already received monthly allowances, health insurance coverage, and education support.

Nationwide, there are 165 social assistance facilities caring for the disabled, including 104 public and 61 non-public, currently housing around 25,000 with disabilities and mental illnesses, and managing roughly 80,000 others in the community.

By 2030, the Government targets monthly assistance and free health insurance for all severely disabled individuals, healthcare access for 90 per cent of people with disabilities, early screening for 80 per cent of children aged 0-6, education access for 90 per cent of school-age children with disabilities, and full accessibility compliance for all new public works, plus 50 per cent of existing ones. — VNA/VNS