MPs Back Urgent Plan for Disability Services Portal

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

MPs have backed an urgent proposal to set up a unified national digital platform to bring together services, jobs, and support for persons with disabilities, linking key government bodies through a single online window.

During its Tuesday sitting, Parliament approved the urgent proposal, which calls for a ‘one-stop’ national platform handling employment, rehabilitation, care, and social support for persons with disabilities, while allowing users to apply for services and track requests in one place. The system would be electronically connected, according to powers and responsibilities, to the Ministry of Labour, the Civil Service Bureau, and the Ministry of Social Development, and coordinated with other related bodies such as the Health and Education ministries, and the Information and eGovernment Authority.

The proposal was submitted by MPs Mamdouh Al Saleh, Jaleela Alawi, Mahmoud Fardan, Hanan Fardan, and Jalal Kadhem.

Explaining the move, Mr Al Saleh said the new system is meant to be the central point of contact for disability services across the country. He said: ‘This unified digital window will be the national reference point for services, employment, and rehabilitation for persons with disabilities in Bahrain, in both the public and private sectors.’

The platform would handle job-seeker registration, job matching, and follow-up on employment opportunities for persons with disabilities, linked directly to the Ministry of Labour and the Civil Service Bureau. It is also intended to connect care, rehabilitation, and social support services with the Ministry of Social Development, and to provide a clear route for complaints and grievances.

Mr Al Saleh stressed that the proposal falls in line with Bahrain’s obligations under international agreements on the rights of persons with disabilities, including the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which the Kingdom ratified under Law No. 22 of 2011.

Justifying the urgency, he warned that the lack of a single system is hampering policy decisions and slowing access to work. ‘Without a national platform, we cannot take quick, evidence-based decisions on the real needs of persons with disabilities, and job opportunities are delayed because there is no unified path linking job-seekers to the Ministry of Labour and the Civil Service Bureau,’ he said.