The Senate of the Parliament of Kazakhstan approved the final amendments to the law "On Post" on Thursday, which were previously endorsed by the Mazhilis, reports a correspondent from the Kapital.kz business information center.
Senator Alibek Nautiev noted that the changes aim to enhance legislation in the areas of postal services, public services, maritime trade, and information security.
“Due to the annual decline in the volume of simple letters sent through mailboxes, the corresponding provisions are being excluded. The law also regulates the placement of postal terminals in buildings and apartment complexes, while the norms regarding subscriber boxes are retained. To improve user convenience, it is proposed to allow the delivery of postal items to third parties with the recipient's consent via a PIN code or QR code,” he stated.
Alibek Nautiev also reported that JSC "Kazpost" is granted the right to transport and store medical supplies in accordance with healthcare legislation.
“The law introduces the concept of 'postal item with declared value' and clarifies the liability conditions for postal operators. Services for sending unregistered parcels and postcards are removed from the list of universal communication services as they have become irrelevant. The volume of subsidies has decreased from 3.4 billion tenge to 654 million tenge over the last five years. Local executive bodies are given the opportunity to maintain postal service branches, and 'Kazpost' must notify akimats about the closure of branches three months in advance,” he added.
According to "Kazpost," there are 2,834 postal offices operating in the country, of which 2,054 are located in rural areas, and most of them are unprofitable.
“This provision will allow local authorities to take measures to preserve postal infrastructure. The law also introduces the concept of 'postal item with declared value' in accordance with international standards,” emphasized the senator.
Additionally, the law includes provisions to enhance information security by protecting wireless communication channels of government bodies and establishes the 'social wallet' project to implement state support measures for the population.
Previously, the bill "On Post" was discussed in the Mazhilis. During the examination of the document, Mazhilis deputy Tansaule Serikov suggested using "Kazpost" for delivering medicines to remote villages.
“Such a service is extremely necessary for seriously ill individuals and people with disabilities. Personal delivery and authentication of the recipient at the time of handing over medications will make the process of receiving free medicines transparent. There have been instances where these medications ended up for sale. However, we are aware of the risks associated with complying with all transportation standards for medications,” said Tansaule Serikov during the plenary session of the Mazhilis.
In response, Deputy Minister of Health Timur Muratov noted that the ministry generally supports this initiative, provided that all conditions for storage and transportation of medications are met.
“We fully support the idea if all necessary standards for the storage and transportation of medicines are adhered to,” he assured.
The Chairperson of the Board of "Kazpost," Asel Janasova, stated that the company is ready to undertake such tasks.