As a result, families raising children with disabilities are appealing to local authorities for the necessity of creating such a center in the region.
In the Batken region, 3,150 children with disabilities under the age of 18 are registered, of which more than 600 live in the Batken district.
Jumagul Eralieva, a resident of the Batken district, shared that she cannot enroll her 9-year-old daughter in school or kindergarten because the girl suffers from autism and requires constant care. The mother is forced to be with her daughter around the clock, as the girl cannot move without her assistance.
“We couldn't send her to kindergarten, and now she doesn't go to school either. When I try to take her, I am told that it is difficult to supervise her; a person is needed who will be with her all the time. I took her to a specialized center, but there are no places there either. It is very hard to transport her to Osh or Bishkek, and besides, the conditions there sometimes do not meet our needs,” she shares.
Due to the lack of a rehabilitation center, parents of children who cannot enroll them in schools or kindergartens have gathered and appealed to the authorities with this issue.
“The problem of rehabilitating children remains unaddressed. Both medical services and visits to a development center are necessary. However, without a specialized institution, we have to travel to Osh or Bishkek. Moreover, there are no subsidies for airfare. A round trip with a child costs about 20,000 soms, while the allowance is only 16,000–18,000 soms. We are asking for such centers to be available to us as well,” says Guljamal Abdieva, a resident of the village of Kara-Bak.
In the Batken district, there are not enough specialized rehabilitation centers for children with disabilities. The "Nur" development center accommodates 20 children, but currently, there are 32 children there. The management of the center states that there is a shortage of places when fully occupied.
Many families cannot afford to transport their children to Osh or Bishkek due to the distance and conditions. In the district, 657 children under 18 have disabilities, and in total, 3,150 children in the region require special attention. There are only three development centers operating in the region.
Local authorities reported that a rehabilitation center is planned to be opened in the village of Kara-Bak in the coming months, for which a facility has already been allocated in the ayil okmotu. A center is also planned to be opened in the ayil okmotu of Tört-Gul.
