BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 20. The implementation of the ‘DOST [Agency for Sustainable and Operative Social Provision] Program in Eastern Zangazur and Karabakh’ has begun in Azerbaijan, Trend reports.
The first Smart DOST service point was opened in Aghali village of Zangilan district in May this year with the participation of President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva. Design work on the Shusha branch of the DOST Agency is also being completed. The territories liberated from occupation will be fully covered by DOST services under this program.
The issue was discussed at a meeting of the collegium of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population of Azerbaijan.
The Board Chairman, Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Population Sahil Babayev stressed that, in accordance with the instructions of President Ilham Aliyev, work continues on organizing and digitalizing DOST services to the population, and expanding the infrastructure.
It was noted at the meeting that since May 2019, five DOST centers have already been opened in Baku city and Absheron district, and 1.05 million citizens, including 360,000 citizens for seven months of 2022, have used the services of DOST.
Besides, since the beginning of this year, the level of satisfaction of citizens with the above services amounted to 98.7 percent. Another DOST center will open in Baku in the coming months. Preparations are also underway for the opening of DOST centers in Barda, Guba, Ganja, Sumgayit, Sabirabad, Masalli, and a number of other districts.
In total, by 2025, it’s planned to open 17 regional DOST centers, DOST branches in 55 districts, and Smart DOST service points in a number of districts.
This year, DOST Agency was awarded the European Social Services Award of the European Social Network, the International Association of Pension and Social Funds Award, and three International Social Security Association awards, and in the EU Business Environment Report 2021, DOST centers were listed as one of the top three reforms in Azerbaijan.
As a result of a survey conducted by the Center for Media Analysis, according to the criteria of efficiency, objectivity, and communication, "Call Center 142" was in the top three.
As part of the digitalization program across the ministry, important steps have been taken in recent years, and out of the 175 services of the ministry, 110 have been provided online, including 46 proactively (without applying and submitting documents).
Currently, the ministry is working to create another 40 online services, bringing the number of online services in the ministry to 150 this year. This will allow achieving 90 percent of the level of digitalization of the ministry's services.
For the first seven months of this year, 142 million applications were received in connection with the online services of the ministry, and more than 7.5 million appeals to the e-sosial.az portal was made. Approximately 346,000 digital certificates have been issued for the areas of activity of the ministry.
From January through July, nearly 171,000 citizens were assigned pensions, allowances and scholarships made through the online system, proactively.
The State Agency for Medical and Social Expertise and Rehabilitation under the ministry assigned disability to 38,900 people for the first seven months of 2022. During this period, 24,000 people received rehabilitation services in the agency's rehabilitation centers, and 8,079 people - 35,400 rehabilitation means.
The meeting participants discussed the opening of new DOST centers and the implementation of the digitalization program, issues of medical and social expertise, rehabilitation, social support for vulnerable groups, training and upcoming tasks.
