SITUATION OF CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES IN CONTEMPORARY LEGAL, MEDICAL AND SOCIAL PROCESSES IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Despite the positive developments in the sphere of ensuring the special needs of disabled children, a comprehensive socio-hygienic assessment of the conditions and lifestyles, as well as of their families, has not been carried out in the recent years. The purpose of the study is to identify, through a sociological survey, the problems that a disabled child encounters in his life, in order to further improve the provision of medical and social assistance to him. Materials and methods of research: 506 legal representatives of minors (aged 0–17 years) with the status of a disabled child were interviewed. Study design: single-center, non-randomized, uncontrolled. Results: the study of the living conditions of a disabled child in the family, the assessment by the parents of the state of his health, the problems arising during the registration of disability, in the provision of medical and rehabilitation assistance, and issues of medical and social support, made it possible to determine the position of this part of the child population in modern legal and medical and social conditions. The main problems were the large number of documents required for the registration of a disability, the long wait for the day of the examination, the remoteness of the location of the medical and social examination bureau, the shortage of specialist doctors, the problem with subsidized drugs, the lack of taking into account the individual needs of the child when carrying out rehabilitation programs, the need to contact different organizations and departments, lack of medical and social assistance, violation of rights in the provision of medical services to a disabled child. Conclusion: The acquired information is important for the further improvement of the provision of medical and social assistance to handicapped children and children with disabilities. The main task today is to develop mechanisms for fulfilling the declared rights and freedoms of persons with disabilities and the obligations undertaken by the state in relation to them. The principle of individualization of the provision of various benefits, depending on the condition of a disabled child, his needs, material security, remains relevant.