The Head of State, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, announced the possible shutdown of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan during an extended cabinet meeting.
"The former leadership of the Health Ministry, despite the fact that there was enough time, was not adequately prepared to deal with the epidemic. All of their forecasts on the number of patients and other indicators turned out to be incorrect," the President’s press service quotes the President in Twitter.
"There are gaps in the interpretation of measures taken by the government and akims. It was noted that they do not work at the appropriate level," the President continued.
"No one listened to the opinion of the Chief Sanitary Doctor. There were not enough professional skills and organizational work. As a result, we receive humanitarian assistance and thank foreign experts for their advice," the Head of State emphasized.
"Another problem is that we are constantly changing the way of working. The previous management decided that patients should be divided into symptomatic and asymptomatic. Now we abandoned this method. Such actions raise doubts among the population," said Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
"The government also made serious mistakes in this regard. I must say openly. The role of digital services during the crisis was not observed at all. Where is the work of the digital commissars?" - the Head of State wondered.
"Since this is an emergency, we must take all necessary measures regarding the pandemic. The recommendations and requirements of the Health Minister should be a priority for other members of the Government and akims. The Health Minister has a special status during the pandemic. I instruct the Government and akimats to report daily to the Ministry and provide information about the fight against the pandemic," the President instructed.
"I hope that the situation will improve in two weeks. Otherwise, the question arises whether the Government is able to work in this composition," the Head of State concluded.
Positive trends are observed in the fight against coronavirus – Tokayev
In the fight against coronavirus positive trends are observed. This was stated by the Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev during an extended meeting of the Government.
"The current epidemiological situation is of great concern. The situation is very difficult. But the first positive trends are observed. Last week I gave a number of instructions to the government and akims. The State Commission has stepped up its work," the President’s press service quotes the President on Twitter.
"The government and the regions will allocate 150 billion tenge to address urgent issues in the fight against the pandemic. The main task is to curb the rate of coronavirus infection, stop its spread and achieve significant results in treating patients," continued Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
“Fighting the epidemic will be effective only if strict quarantine measures are observed. We can see this from the experience of foreign countries. In our country, the order in this regard is very weak. Police and health officials must ensure strict compliance with the quarantine regime. This is very important for public health and security of our citizens. Quarantine violators will be prosecuted because they threaten not only their own health, but also the health of others," the Head of State concluded.
Tokayev ordered to dismiss heads of FSMS and SK-Pharmacy, as well as to conduct an investigation
This was stated by the Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev during an extended meeting of the Government, Kazpravda.kz reports.
"The next important task is to ensure full medical care and access to essential medicines. The Health Ministry made a number of serious mistakes in management. Most akims did not do their job properly, the government did not control it," the President’s press service quotes the head of state as saying in Twitter.
"It is necessary to create a special commission to identify errors and shortcomings. This commission should not interfere with the ongoing joint work, but should conduct an inspection and give me recommendations," Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said.
"Now we must solve the problem of the lack of medicines and the artificial increase in prices. We need to immediately resolve this situation and provide medicines to all regions. Work is in progress. Now we need a result," the President continued.
“It is necessary to conduct an investigation, to bring all those responsible to justice. The heads of the FSMS and SK-Pharmacy must be dismissed and, if necessary, an investigation must be conducted,” the Head of State instructed.
"It is necessary to hold accountable those who want to make a profit in this way during the epidemic. After my instruction, work in this direction has begun. This should be completed. This is a national security issue," the President of Kazakhstan said.
"It is necessary to solve the problem of providing SK-Pharmacy with qualified specialists. It is time to launch the production of many types of medicines and medical devices in Kazakhstan. How long will we depend on imported medicines? Where is our honor?" - the Head of State wondered.
