RIYADH: The Ministry of Social Affairs has issued checks to 5,709 disabled people to purchase cars, a senior official from the ministry announced here on Sunday.

Ibrahim Abdullah Al-Manea director general of the Ministry of Social Affairs for the Riyadh region said the vehicles are specially designed for the disabled people.

“There are 10,756 people have registered for the cars in the second batch, which will be reviewed shortly,” he added.

He said that the payments are made in the respective regions where the disabled people live. The government also ensured safe delivery of the customized vehicles to the beneficiaries in their respective home stations.

The director general said that if the applicant is under 18, the vehicle will be handed to the father who can help ferry the disabled.

Each person who applied between 2007 and 2014 would get SR150,000 to buy a car. A committee had been formed to oversee the payments, as stipulated in a royal decree.

The ministry has some 13 programs to serve the disabled including 30 rehabilitation centers housing more than 8,000 beneficiaries. There are also programs with day care, discounts on goods, home care, and monthly aid of SR1,666.

In addition, the government pays the training fees of 8,000 individuals at private centers. The government also pays the visa fees for nurses, maids and drivers needed by people with disabilities.

Further support includes diagnosing students to see whether they qualify for financial aid, and distributing medical equipment and aid for those who wish to start their own vocational projects.

Plans are underway to set up three main autism centers to unify the services.