In 2025, persons with disabilities represent about 6.7% of the Moldovan population, and children with disabilities represent 2.3% of the total number of children under 18 years of age. Almost every second person with disabilities belongs to the category with a pronounced degree of limitations. The largest share of persons with identified limitations is in the age group of 30-45 years. Men predominate in this category.
The number of recipients of disability pensions and state social benefits amounted to 160 thousand people, including 11.4 thousand children under 17 years of age.
Since April 1, indexation for all categories of pensions and other payments amounted to 6.84%. In addition, pensions are increased by a fixed amount of 51.33 lei (an indicator linked to GDP growth). In recent years, the minimum pension, for example for severe limitations, has increased many times. In 2020 it was 857 lei, and from April 1 this year it is 2291.74 lei. The care allowance from April 1 is 2611.73 lei, with 14 thousand beneficiaries.
“Reality is what it is”
Despite the state’s efforts, people with disabilities still face discrimination. According to the Equality Council’s report on the situation in the field of preventing and combating discrimination for 2025, in the field of access to goods and services available to the public, the highest number of cases of discrimination was registered precisely on the grounds of disability – 33%.
“This is an alarming observation,” said Grigore Novak, chairman of the Commission on Human Rights and Interethnic Relations, at a public hearing on monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of national mechanisms for realizing the rights of people with disabilities in accordance with UN standards.
The commission’s deputies make surprise visits to social institutions: “People find out that we have come already at the gate. And this in many ways helps to see the reality as it is – good or bad”.
Systemic barriers
The most frequently noted problems are systemic and perennial. First of all, we are talking about the inaccessibility of public transportation – both on urban, suburban and intercity routes. At the moment, the elements of accessibility are actually ensured only in Chisinau and Balti. According to the results of the inspections carried out by the authorized bodies, only 11 road transport operators from all over the country have been held administratively liable.
A similar situation is observed with the road infrastructure: there are no sidewalks, the roads are not adapted. Moreover, the problem concerns not only people with disabilities, but also parents with strollers, people with temporary injuries, for example, with a cast. The Agency, as the body responsible for road infrastructure safety, plans to start periodic safety inspections this quarter and hopes to present the results at the next meeting.
Serious barriers also remain in access to social infrastructure facilities. Local government buildings, social assistance services, courthouses and residential buildings often remain inaccessible because requirements are not taken into account during the design and construction phase.
Among the problems are ineffective mechanisms for ensuring the right to housing; insufficient funding for the personal assistant service (even after the introduction of the popularized Restart system); non-recognition of the right to payments for care, accompaniment and supervision of people with severe disabilities; and the high cost of health resort treatment (working recipients of pensions or social benefits with severe or pronounced disabilities pay 30% of the cost of trips, while those with moderate disabilities already pay 70%).
The issue of employment is no less acute. The employment rate among people without disabilities is 46%, while among people with disabilities it is only 17.5%.
Jan Feldman, Chair of the Equality Council, said, “There is no national policy document that ensures the inclusion of people with disabilities. The last program expired in 2022. It was a 2017-2022 program. It is now 2026. There is no program. I know the ministry is preparing it. We are waiting.”
The Ministry confirms: The National Program on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Action Plan for 2026-2030 are being developed. The first consultations have already started. The program includes 5 general goals and 65 actions.
“People with disabilities are not only the responsibility of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, but also of other spheres and institutions, so it is important to strengthen partnerships,” says State Secretary Vasile Kuska.
The Ministry of Health declares its intention to “bring the service closer to the person”. In this regard, from July 1, it is planned to change the mechanism of financing of public mental health centers on the ground.
The new financing system will be implemented in a pilot mode, which will last until December 31, in order to assess the effectiveness of the reform and decide on its further application next year. It is a shift from global funding to payment for specific services based on performance indicators.
“Our goal is that every service intended for people with disabilities should be as close to them as possible,” Secretary of State Ion Prisăcaru emphasized.
He also said that over the past two years – 2024-2025 – more than 200 primary health care facilities across the country, particularly gynecology offices, have been equipped with the support of development partners. They have been equipped with medical equipment and adaptive chairs for outpatient care of patients with special needs.
Unequal start
One of the biggest injustices faced by people with disabilities is limited access to education. The Ministry of Education and Research has a goal of enrolling all school-aged children with disabilities in general education by 2027. In addition, graduates should have equal access to vocational and higher education, as well as other forms of lifelong learning.
The Ministry of Education, like the Ministry of Health, has also decided not to look for easy ways. The funding formula for compulsory education is being revised to define a budget allocation mechanism for inclusive education. While previously this share was a fixed 2% of the budget of each educational institution, a different mechanism is being developed, whereby funding will be calculated according to need, the number of children with special needs and other factors.
Irina Revin, chairperson of the Association of Entrepreneurs, notes that there are no accessible universities and no accessible dormitories in Moldova. Yes, some universities with the support of the World Bank have started the adaptation process, for example, the Pedagogical State University “Ion Creanga”, but only after an incident when a person fell down the stairs of this institution and suffered an open leg injury.
She suggested the establishment of a National Adaptation Fund. There is such a norm – compulsory employment of people with disabilities. In Romania, employers have been given a choice: if he cannot or does not want to hire such workers, he pays 0.5 of the national minimum wage for each person not hired. This money goes into a special accessibility fund, with which public and administrative spaces are adapted.
“Let’s look for solutions, not come once a year and report on how much good has been done. It is important that after these discussions and reports we see real people – these 165 thousand people. This is comparable to one Gagauzia or half of Transnistria – it is a very large number, and it is not just statistics. Behind each figure is a person who needs an individual approach. I would like you to do a simple internal experiment: think about whether the building you left this morning is accessible. Don’t answer me – answer yourself,” said Irina Revin.
