CRC/C/15/Add.142 page 7 financial support. It also encourages the State party to continue the process for the ratification of the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption of 1993. 5. Basic health and welfare Health and health services 35. While noting that the State party started a process focusing on preventive health care, the Committee is concerned that the situation of maternal, child and reproductive health is poor. In particular, it notes with concern the high rates of infant mortality, even though it has been decreasing in recent years, and of child morbidity, in particular the high incidence of tick-induced encephalitis and diphtheria. It also takes note that the immunization programme has been delayed because sufficient funds were not available and that it is no longer available in schools. 36. The Committee recommends that the State party allocate appropriate resources and develop comprehensive policies and programmes to improve the health situation of all children, without discrimination. With reference to the immunization programme, the Committee encourages the State party to look to international cooperation for support in the manufacture and procurement of vaccines. Children with disabilities 37. The Committee expresses its concern about the fact that children with disabilities are granted additional State benefits only up to the age of 16 and that children with disabilities living in rural areas do not have access to the same level of services and medicines as children living in other parts of the country. Further, it is concerned at the high proportion of children with disabilities who are institutionalized. It also notes with concern that the integration of children with disabilities into the normal educational system is problematical owing to the lack of specialized teachers and the fact that schools are not easily accessible for children with motor impairment. 38. The Committee recommends that the State party allocate the necessary resources for programmes and facilities for all children with disabilities up to the age of 18, especially the ones living in rural areas, and develop community-based programmes in order for the children to be able to stay at home with their families. In light of the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities (General Assembly resolution 48/96) and the Committee’s recommendations adopted at its day of general discussion on “The rights of children with disabilities” (see CRC/C/69), it is also recommended that the State further encourage their integration into the educational system and inclusion into society, including by providing special training to teachers and by making schools more accessible.

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