BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (Xinhua): In findings from the 2021 population and housing survey, 1.6 percent of Brunei's total population, equivalent to 7,024 individuals, report having at least one disability, the country's health minister Mohd Isham Jaafar said recently.
In a speech delivered at an event on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, which is a United Nations-sanctioned day celebrated internationally on Dec 3, the minister said that a significant portion of these individuals, comprising 58.5 per cent, falls within the productive age range of 15 to 64 years, with an additional 25.6 per cent being under 15 years.
Among them, approximately 78 per cent exhibit a single disability characteristic, while the remaining 22 per cent face multiple disabilities, the minister added.
He emphasized that individuals with disabilities encounter extra challenges, underscoring the necessity for comprehensive healthcare to be readily available for their well-being.
The minister said his ministry will focus its rehabilitation efforts on addressing a spectrum of chronic or acute disability conditions in both adults and children. - Xinhua
