What Happened
The Government of Kazakhstan reported on the results of its efforts to enhance the efficiency of budget expenditure. In the system of mandatory social health insurance (OSMS), it was possible to prevent unjustified payments amounting to 4 billion tenge, and in the financing of private schools — save 8 billion tenge.
These measures are being implemented as part of the execution of the instructions of the Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, aimed at strengthening financial discipline and reducing unjustified payments through digital tools. In the social sphere, approaches to financing medical assistance and private education have already been revised: digital services allow for the identification of violations even before the funds are transferred, eliminating manual calculations and the human factor.
What is the Essence of the Approach
The key idea is to shift control to the "pre-payment" stage. Previously, many violations were identified only after the money had left the budget, and it was necessary to return them through lengthy procedures. Now, automated checks compare data from different information systems and filter out incorrect charges in advance.
This concerns two major areas of expenditure:
- Medical assistance in the OSMS system — verification of the validity of the services provided and billed for payment.
- Financing of private education — ensuring that budget funds are allocated strictly based on real, confirmed grounds.
By eliminating manual operations, the risk of errors and abuses is reduced, and the processes themselves become more transparent and faster.
Who is Affected
The results of the work affect several groups of participants in the social sphere:
- Patients and insured individuals in OSMS — the correctness of payments directly affects the sustainability of the fund and the availability of guaranteed assistance.
- Medical organizations — it is important for them to properly document and justify the services provided, as the verification occurs before payment.
- Private schools and parents of students — transparency in financing affects the stability of budget support for education.
- Taxpayers in general — the saved funds remain in the budget and can be directed to other social tasks.
Since OSMS and social payments are closely linked to mandatory contributions (OPV, OSMS) and withholdings for individual income tax, the integrity of contributions and the accuracy of data about payers directly influence the sustainability of the entire system.
What Participants in the System Should Do
To avoid problems during automated checks, participants should adhere to simple rules:
- Check the relevance of data. Ensure that information about the payer, the status of the insured, and the grounds for payments is accurate and updated in a timely manner.
- Maintain correct primary documentation. For medical organizations and educational institutions, this is the basis for passing checks "before payment".
- Monitor the timeliness of contributions. Correct and timely paid OPV and OSMS contributions form the correct status in the system.
- Use official digital services. Electronic channels reduce the risk of manual input errors and speed up reconciliation.
Timelines and Next Steps
Measures to strengthen financial discipline are systemic and ongoing: digital control is already integrated into the processes of financing medical assistance and private education and is applied on a regular basis. The government continues to work on expanding the use of digital tools to enhance the efficiency of budget expenditures. Official information about new measures and results should be monitored on the resources of government agencies.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does "preventing unjustified payments" in OSMS mean? — This refers to identifying incorrect or unconfirmed charges at the stage before the funds are transferred, which prevents money from leaving the fund unnecessarily.
How was the savings in financing private schools achieved? — By revising approaches to financing and using digital tools that eliminate manual calculations and allow funds to be allocated strictly based on confirmed grounds.
Where do the saved funds go? — The saved and not unjustifiably paid funds remain in the budget and the OSMS system, strengthening their sustainability.
How is this related to my contributions to OSMS and OPV? — The correctness and timeliness of contributions form your status in the system; the more accurate the data, the lower the risk of errors during automated checks.
What should a medical organization or private school do to pass the check? — Maintain correct documentation and keep data up to date, as control is conducted before payment for services.