A total of 447,000 people with mild to severe disability have been identified in remote and underdeveloped areas of the country, said the deputy for rehabilitation affairs at the Social Welfare Organization (SWO). “At present, 10,598 health houses are providing rehabilitation services for the disabled living in those regions,” IRNA quoted Hossein Nahvinezhad as saying. More than 1.5 million people (2% of the 80-million population) suffer from some form of disability in the country. Earlier, Nahvinezhad had said that nearly $200 million was allocated during the last Iranian year (ended March 20) for provision of rehabilitation services to those under the coverage of the SWO.
