"Disability — 300 dollars"? Measures taken against officials after actor's appeal

"Disability — 300 dollars"? Measures taken against officials after actor's appeal

A video appeal by Musulmon Yunusov, a theater and cinema actor living in the Sergeli district, about encountering corruption during the process of re-establishing his child's disability, has drawn public attention. In his appeal addressed to Shahnoza Mirziyoyeva, the First Deputy Director of the National Agency for Social Protection, the actor stated that a $300 bribe was demanded through a polyclinic nurse. Following this appeal, the relevant authorities investigated the situation and provided an official explanation.

According to the actor, after the two-year period expired, the family prepared the documents for their daughter to undergo a re-examination for disability. According to official information, the application was accepted by Family Polyclinic No. 71 on May 18, 2026, and an electronic referral was sent to the Medical and Social Expert Commission on May 21.

An examination was conducted on June 5 by the Sergeli Inter-district MSEC No. 127, and a conclusion was issued designating the child as a child with a disability under 18 years of age and in need of care by others. In other words, the result expected by the actor's family was initially provided.

According to official data, this conclusion fell into a random electronic re-check and was reviewed based on documents by an expert from the Samarkand Regional MSEC. As a result, the "in need of care" part of the child's conclusion was removed, leaving only the conclusion "child with a disability under 18 years of age." This exact change, namely that the mother was not assigned as a caregiver, was the main issue of protest in the actor's video appeal.

As officially acknowledged, the result of this random re-check was not fully studied by the Sergeli Inter-district MSEC No. 127. That is, the local commission did not sufficiently monitor the modified conclusion. Following the appeal, the National Agency for Social Protection formed a special working group.

On September 3, 2026, the child was re-examined, and her medical documents and objective condition were re-evaluated. As a result, the initial conclusion was restored: a final conclusion was issued designating the child as a child with a disability under 18 years of age and in need of care by others. Regarding the situation mentioned in the actor's video appeal, where $300 was demanded by a polyclinic doctor, law enforcement agencies are currently conducting an investigation. No final conclusion has been announced on this matter yet.

According to official information, strict measures, up to dismissal, have been applied to the responsible managers and employees of the Sergeli Inter-district MSEC and the "Inson" center regarding the situation that arose. The agency also reminded citizens of their legal options if they disagree with a conclusion. A person who disagrees with an issued conclusion has the right to appeal to regional or city MSECs within 1 month, and to the Republican MSEC within 5 days.

In order to prevent similar situations, including problems such as groundless changes to conclusions or leaving them unmonitored, it has been decided to integrate the Ministry of Health's DMED system with the National Agency for Social Protection's electronic system for determining disability. This process is planned to be implemented by the end of 2026. The goal is to eliminate excessive red tape and inappropriate changes to conclusions influenced by the human factor.