May 03, 2017•Update: May 03, 2017
By Burcu Calik
ANKARA
Turkey has spent 1.2 billion Turkish liras ($340 million) for physically-challenged and elderly citizens over the past three months, Turkey’s family minister said.
Talking to Anadolu Agency, Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya said the ministry’s aim was to make the country a welfare state that is “trying to remediate the problems of its people.”
"We continue to provide regular assistance and support to disabled and our elderly people,” Kaya said, adding that the ministry was extending a helping hand to every family in need “to provide them with a life befitting human dignity”.
“These funds are the results of the strong economy and the political stability of our country,” she said.
Kaya expressed hope that the support will continue to increase in the coming period.
Data provided by the Family Ministry show that Turkey has spent 425 million Turkish liras ($120.202 million) in the past three months on 558,970 people aged 65 or above and have no social security.
A total of 752 million Turkish liras ($213 million) were spent over the last three months to support 539,506 people with a disability rate of 40 percent or more.
The ministry has provided 88.07 million Turkish liras ($24.90 million) to the families of 73,868 disabled children under the age of 18.
A total of 485,239 disabled people have benefitted from homecare service in the past three months. The total amount spent on them is 1.354 million Turkish liras ($382,95 million).
