Blind People Have To Pay Bribe To Get Government Pension
Two days ago Ms. Oyuntsetseg, 28, was hit by an automobile when she was crossing an intersection to her way to the Songinohairkhan district medical center. Her eyesight is very poor, she can not see things normally and she gets a disability pension from the Government social welfare and insurance funds. On September 10th, Oyuntsetseg was walking to the district medical center in order to prolong her disability pensioner's status for the next year. Without the prolonging she would remain with no pension.
In October 2000, the Mongolian Government introduced a new regulation regarding blind pensioners so that everyone shall get her/his disability status prolonged by a district/province Medical Center each year. Before, blind people whose blindness was diagnosed as "unhopeful to recover" were entitled to the Government pensions for the limitless time. But it changed after the election-2000 and blind people now have to go to medical centers every year, including rural blind ones who have to go to province centers to be entitled to $10-20 pensions per month.
Oyuntsetseg feels lucky for being alive after the accident, although her neck and head were injured. However, she is worried because her pension right for the next year is not yet secured which means she will have no money for bread. She could not see the face of the driver who did an accident, she could not even see the color of the car and its number. But she is also not sure whether after such a trouble she can get her pension status prolonged. It is because the doctors of the medical centers, which works under an administrative unit of district or province governors' offices, usually demand bribe for their "assistance" to diagnose that she was a disabled one.
"Doctors never demanded money earlier, they began demanding bribe since Government introduced one-year term for our pensions. As we did not know that we had to prolong our pension status, now many of us "owe" several dozens thousand tugriks to the Government. Some doctors demand one or two hundred thousand tugriks to sign a diagnose" said Bayasgalan, a blind client, to Liberty Center. "I can name doctors who demanded free lunch from a blind client or another one who asked for 180 thousands or another one who is bargaining about bribe size between 180,000-100,000 just for their diagnose that we were "truly blind". It is such an inhuman laugh on our dark life. The reason for fostering bribe is the government decision. Government promised to deliver us from poverty, but in fact, it pushes us to more and more poverty".
During 2001-2003, The Mongolian Association to Protect Blinds' rights has been sending several letter-demands to the Government to take urgent actions to help blind people get out of poverty and social marginalizing.
Liberty Center urges you to write to Mr.Enkhbayar, the Prime Minister of Mongolia and appeal that no disabled person shall pay bribe to get a Government benefit or a pension and that all government decisions encouraging such bribes shall be dismissed. Also, you can urge his party, which is ruling with overwealming majority, to fulfill its election promise to deliver people from poverty. Please send a copy of your message to Liberty Center.
His address:
Mr.Enkhbayar, Prime Minister of Mongolia, Government house,
Ulaanbaatar-12, Mongolia, fax: 976-11-328329, e.mail: enkhbayar@mail.parl.gov.mn
Mr.Enkhbayar, Chairman, Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party, MPRP building,
Ulaanbaatar-12, Mongolia