Zhyldyz Sadyrbaeva noted the lack of rehabilitation facilities for children with cerebral palsy, autism, and Down syndrome
At a meeting of the Committee of the Jogorku Kenesh on social issues, healthcare, labor, and women's affairs, Deputy Zhyldyz Sadyrbaeva expressed sharp criticism regarding the insufficient support for children with special needs, stating that access to government services for them is virtually non-existent.
During the commission's work, she repeatedly communicated with parents of children with developmental disabilities, who noted that the main problem is the acute shortage of rehabilitation centers.
“Although such centers exist, their number does not meet even one percent of the needs. In most cases, they are located in Bishkek, and private services are too expensive — the cost of one day of a child's stay is about 3,000 soms. Many families are forced to leave their homes and move to the capital to provide their child with the opportunity for treatment,” the deputy reported.
Sadyrbaeva also emphasized the importance of early intervention for such children.
“You know that the earlier support begins, the greater the chances that the child will be able to adapt to society. Mothers ask for just one thing — to increase the number of rehabilitation centers. For them, this is a matter of survival,” she stressed.
In addition, the deputy addressed issues related to medical services. Despite assurances from the Ministry of Health about the availability of dental care and medications, in reality, as the deputy claims, no child has received the necessary assistance.
“I personally spoke with mothers. Treating one tooth costs them 50,000 soms,” Sadyrbaeva added.
She also proposed to expand the list of recipients of state support to include children with epilepsy alongside children with Down syndrome, autism, and cerebral palsy.
The deputy pointed out the shortage of qualified specialists — defectologists, speech therapists, and psychologists.
“Working with special children requires significant effort. Many do not want to pursue this profession, and students do not choose relevant specialties. Without professional help, we risk losing these children. The Ministry of Health must create incentives to attract specialists to this field,” she concluded.
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