Parents of seriously sick children frequently face a dramatic choice - stay at work or devote themselves to the full care of the child. The current government does not facilitate this task. The child’s care allowance that can be obtained due to the child’s illness is entitled to a maximum of 60 days per year. It is adequate time for a cold or a short infection, but with long-term treatment, e.g. oncological treatment, it is rather insufficient.
RECLAMA
Many parents either quit their jobs or take all their vacations to be with a kid in a infirmary or during rehabilitation. Treatment of cancer in children can last for months or even years, with interruptions to recovery and control tests.
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The Messenger calls for change
Ms Danuta Jazłowiecka, who addressed the Minister of Family, Labour and Social Policy Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk with an interpelling on the extension of the period of payment of care allowance for children's parents with oncological and genetic diseases, drew attention to this problem.
The parliamentarian pointed out that the current limits do not fit into reality, and the treatment process is long-term and requires the presence of a parent at almost all stage. In her opinion, therefore, provisions are needed to adjust the dimension of the allowance to the individual situation of the kid and family.
She proposed a flexible mechanism, thanks to which the doctor, in cooperation with the Social safety Office, could find the real time needed to care for a sick child. This would prevent parents from giving up their work completely to accompany their kid in the treatment.
Flexible mechanics for granting benefits
The MP proposes a more flexible strategy for granting welfare benefits that takes into account the individual needs of the kid and family. It is simply a solution in which a doctor, in consultation with the Social safety Office, could find the real time essential to care for the child, alternatively of rigid limits of days, e.g. 120 or 180.
"I realize that the introduction of specified solutions requires a budgetary and legal analysis, but in the face of the tremendous intellectual and economical burden these families face, it is worth jointly looking for solutions that will let them to go through this hard time without any additional fear of losing their jobs and livelihoods" - says Danuta Jazłowiecka.
Ministry response
The Ministry of Labour and Social Policy has not yet responded to the Member's appeal. Deputy Minister Aleksandra Gajewska, on TVN24, stated that the subject is presently being analysed: "The analysis is ongoing, as it is not just a substance of the same limit of days. According to this bill, no substance what the illness is, a parent of a kid up to the age of 14 may have these 60 days. But we look at it widely. What are those people who should have specified individual care? What is this dimension of needs? Should they only be children under 14? We request to analyse this very carefully" - he informs.
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