President Tokayev highlights Kazakhstan's social guarantees

"Kazakhstan is genuinely a social state. This is no idle boast. And it is not even about the huge sums allocated to improving social welfare — though we can't do without that. It is a fundamental factor," the Head of State said.

According to him, the country's Basic Law enshrines a specific state obligation: the provision of a guaranteed volume of free medical assistance.

"Please, take a break from scrolling TikTok and inquire: what other constitution contains such a state obligation? In which one? Yet it is Kazakhstan that provides budget-funded medical care to every citizen of our state. And not only our citizens, but also Kandas arriving from abroad and even certain categories of foreign citizens permanently residing in our country," Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said.

The President emphasized that this covers more than just the dispensing of medicines. The guaranteed volume includes appointments with primary care physicians, basic checkups, diagnoses, emergency care for life-threatening conditions, and treatment of socially significant diseases, including diabetes, cancer, and tuberculosis.

Moreover, as Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said, the state provides certain patients with medicines, as well as ambulance and air medical services.

"Recently, we brought one of our scientists home from Italy — he had become seriously ill there. We had to help urgently," the President said.

The Head of State also mentioned the Qazaqstan Khalqyna fund, established on his proposal and initiative. According to him, the fund provides substantial assistance, especially to children.

"According to doctors, so-called 'veterans' of last century's disasters, wars, and conflicts are making active use of these benefits. These are all events of the distant past, yet the veterans are strangely getting younger. This points to obvious abuses in the social sphere, particularly in the process of assigning varying degrees of disability," the President noted.

The Head of State pointed out that at one time, more than 800,000 people in Kazakhstan — a country of 20 million — were registered as disabled. Such a figure, he said, was impossible to believe in peacetime. He quoted Anton Chekhov: "That cannot be, because it can never be."

"I would like to remind you that it is in Kazakhstan that new mothers get three years of maternity leave, with benefits, financial support, and, most importantly, their job guaranteed. The state is obliged to guarantee employment to young mothers, at least at their previous workplace. In many countries that traditionally occupy the top spots in all international rankings, such social benefits do not exist in principle and cannot exist. There, young mothers rush back to work within two weeks, so as not to lose their jobs. And they have never heard of a guaranteed volume of free assistance, nor do they believe such social benefits are possible. Yet we do not talk about this out loud. And for some reason, we traditionally place 30th, 40th, 50th, or even lower in international rankings. Nobody knows what we are actually doing for all our citizens," the President said.

Likewise, he said, people abroad do not believe in free hot meals for all school students in grades 1 through 4.

"Regardless of whether children come from vulnerable families or affluent ones, all of them in grades 1 through 4 receive hot meals. You know this. Moreover, under the requirements and standards, these breakfasts and lunches must cover 40% of the calories a child should receive in a single day. Name me another country that does this. And we have completely removed all unhealthy products from the menu (sausages, fast food, sugary drinks) and reduced the amount of sugar, salt, and so on. Even under 'developed socialism', there was nothing like this," Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted.

He also recalled that the outgoing Parliament deemed it necessary to adopt a legislative amendment providing hearing aids for hearing-impaired children, naturally at no cost.

"These devices are manufactured abroad, so the Government will have to urgently set up production in our country. On the whole, the Government, together with the Qurultay and active members of the public, needs to carry out work to ensure targeted provision of social assistance and benefits. Simply put, the state must, is obliged to, provide assistance to citizens who actually need it. That would be highly just. I hope the party of the same name (Adilet means 'justice' in Kazakh) will also join this effort," the President said.

Earlier today, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev addressed participants of the Taza Qazaqstan environmental campaign.