PAN says next government cannot fail with ex-combatants

The PAN spokesman said this Thursday that the next government cannot fail with disabled soldiers and ex-combatants, saying that the Portuguese state is indebted to these people.

“These people served the country. They were forced into war. Both disabled soldiers and ex-combatants currently have a debt to the Portuguese state, which must be transferred once and for all when pensions and entitlements are reviewed. (…) being in conditions of war. It is extremely important that this review takes place,” emphasized Ines Souza Real.

Speaking as part of a visit to the Armed Forces Disabled Association – ADFA, the leader of the PAN list in Lisbon warned that attention must also be paid to social support, access to medicines, psychologists and physiotherapy.

“We cannot forget that since these pensions and support are linked to the index, IAS [Indexante dos Apoios Sociais], it is important (…) that it is always above the poverty threshold. And we cannot forget their women, their partners, who throughout their lives, many of them, ended up taking on the role of informal caregivers,” he said.

According to Ines Souza Real, it is important that the wives of former combatants are entitled to pensions of a “decent minimum amount” equivalent to IFRS.

“We cannot allow these people to be forgotten in the next legislature and for the government to expect this generational issue to resolve a problem that is solely in the hands of the government and which is actually a debt of gratitude that the country owes. these people,” he added.

On this issue, PAN wants to reduce the “complexity and slowness of acquiring auxiliary products procured for service members with disabilities” and focuses the rest of its proposals on reducing the environmental impact of the Department of Defense and its infrastructure.

On November 26, 2023, the government approved the creation of the System for the Distribution of Assistive Products for Military Disabled Persons (SAPADM), such as prosthetics or wheelchairs, which aims to simplify procedures and speed up processes.

In May of the same year, in Lisbon, on the 49th anniversary of the ADFA, the Minister of Defense announced that the government was working on a computer system that would allow “less bureaucratic and more responsive” distribution of support for disabled people in the Armed Forces, which protested to Helena that day Carreiras, complaining about delays in the release of support.

More than 10.8 million Portuguese are called to vote on March 10 to elect 230 members of the Assembly of the Republic.

18 political forces, 15 parties and three coalitions are participating in the elections.