One invataxi per thousand people with disabilities: prosecutor's office finds violations in East Kazakhstan

An analysis by the prosecutor's office of the East Kazakhstan region has exposed a critical shortage of transport for people with special needs. More than a thousand residents with disabilities had access to only one specialized vehicle, as a result of which only a few people received social assistance. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.

According to the prosecutors, the 1,049 residents with disabilities living in the Ulan district had access to just one specialized invataxi vehicle, and only seven people used its services on a regular basis. This means that the vast majority of people with disabilities in the district had no access to the service.

At the same time, the prosecutor's analysis showed that in reality at least 62 residents of the district needed special transport, and they were effectively left without state assistance. In other words, the needs of dozens of people were not taken into account in the organization of transportation.

In addition to the shortage of vehicles, the supervisory authority recorded violations in the very organization of transportation and a weak level of informing citizens about the right to free invataxi. People with disabilities did not receive sufficient information about the benefit they are entitled to.

After the prosecutor's intervention, two new special vehicles were allocated in the district, the travel schedule was adjusted, and the lists of assistance recipients were updated. Explanatory work was carried out with the population, and the officials responsible were punished in disciplinary proceedings.

The prosecutor's office of the East Kazakhstan region emphasized that it monitors the observance of the rights of socially vulnerable citizens on an ongoing basis, paying attention to the accessibility of social services for people with disabilities.

Earlier, Kurultai deputy Askhat Aimagambetov raised the problem of invataxi accessibility for Kazakhstanis traveling to other regions for treatment. According to him, the service is currently strictly tied to the place of residence, and in another city people with special needs are left without special transport.

Before that, Kursiv wrote that Kazakhstan had approved a new list of medical indications under which people with disabilities can use invataxi services.