Healthcare in Kazakhstan

Health Care in Independent Kazakhstan

After the collapse of the USSR , decentralization of the health system was carried out in Kazakhstan, many functions from the Ministry of Health were transferred to the executive bodies of regions and cities of republican significance, and regional and city health departments received a significant degree of independence. At the same time, reform and optimization of the free universal health care system, which continues to the present, has begun. In the 1990s, on the recommendation of foreign organizations from the United States, large-scale optimization of medical facilities was launched throughout the republic, hundreds of medical facilities were closed, liquidated or privatized (sold to private hands).

State regulation in the field of healthcare in the Republic of Kazakhstan falls within the competence of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan ^[1] .

Primary Health Care

Primary health care (PHC) is provided at the level of rural outpatient centers, family health centers, city polyclinics and diagnostic centers. In connection with ensuring admission to the execution of the state order (GVFMC) by private medical centers, since 2014, work has been intensified on the provision of PHC according to the principles of public-private partnership.

Specialized Help

• TB service (TB dispensaries)
• Dermatovenerologic Service (Dermatovenerologic Dispensaries)
• drug treatment service (drug treatment clinics)
• psychiatric service (neuropsychiatric institutions)

Obstetric and gynecological care

Maternity hospitals, maternity wards of district hospitals, perinatal centers in cities.

Medical assistance for children

Medical care for children is provided in children's clinics, central district and city hospitals.

High-tech medical care

High-tech medical care (VMP) is medical care using complex and unique medical technologies based on modern scientific and technical achievements, provided by highly qualified medical personnel. VMP is provided in specialized medical institutions that are licensed to provide this type of care.

Sanatorium treatment

Health Informatics

Since 2010, the Unified Health Information System of the Republic of Kazakhstan (UHMIS) has been introduced in the country in order to improve the availability of medical services for the population, increase the efficiency of the health system and improve the quality of medical services. UHIS is a system of software systems that collect, store and analyze information, personify medical data for each citizen. Here, unified systems of industry standards, rationalization of schemes and timing of information transfer are implemented. The next stage in the development of e-health was the implementation of the state program of Health Informatization until 2020.

About $ 1 billion was allocated to healthcare in Kazakhstan in 2005. With a population of 16 million people, the capacity of the medical market in Kazakhstan is estimated by experts at an amount equal to 500 million US dollars.

Health Human Resources

A total of 54.8 thousand doctors and 117 thousand paramedical personnel provide medical services throughout the republic.

The power of healthcare organizations

There are 998 hospital facilities in the Republic (162 of them are specialized) and 3332 outpatient medical organizations for 2010. The expansion of the network of hospital organizations occurred in 7 regions of the republic. The number of beds in 2010 is 119,000.

The number of wholesale companies specializing in the sale of medical and laboratory equipment, medicines is about 200.

According to the “Program of reforming and developing healthcare” adopted by the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan, a phased increase in government spending on the healthcare industry is envisaged to reach 4% of GDP by 2008. More than 1.2 billion US dollars were allocated for the development of health care alone in 2005-2007.

In recent years, the state has taken a number of measures aimed at reforming and developing health care. 2002 was declared the year of health, the State Program for Health Care Reform and Development was adopted, and the list of free medical care is constantly expanding.

Currently, the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan is paying close attention to the treatment of tuberculosis , diabetes , AIDS, cancer, as well as iodine deficiency problems. In all these areas, appropriate government programs have been adopted.

“Salamatty Kazakhstan”

In the period from 2011 to 2015, the State program for the development of health care “Salamatty Kazakhstan” was implemented in Kazakhstan. Under this program, maternal and infant mortality rates were significantly reduced. Also improved indicators of the provision of cardiological and cardiosurgical care.

"Densaulyқ"

The implementation of the State Densaulyk Program is planned for the period from 2016 to 2019.

Since 2018, compulsory medical insurance has been introduced in Kazakhstan ^[2] .

• State (republican and local) budget
• Voluntary insurance funds
• From January 1, 2018, it is planned to introduce a system of compulsory social health insurance
• Loans from international financial institutions (for the implementation of international projects)

• In 2006, the only plant for the production of soft dosage forms began to function in Central Asia.
• USAID provides $ 15 million for tuberculosis control.
• US $ 20 million was allocated to create the Kazakhstan system for the control of especially dangerous diseases.
• 2 million US dollars allocated by the Government of Japan to combat iodine deficiency.
• More than 1 million US dollars was spent on the reconstruction of the cardiological center in Uralsk .
• 7.7 million US dollars are allocated by USAID for the implementation of the Quality Public Health and Primary Health Care program. 2 million of this amount will be directed to family planning.

As part of the village development program, the Government is allocating funds for the construction of 274 health facilities in rural areas.

• The World Bank will provide a grant in the amount of US $ 25 million to the 4 countries of Central Asia to fight AIDS .
• The new plant for the production of medicines, Almaty , the total project cost of more than 45 million US dollars
• Saudi Arabia allocates $ 5 million to create a cardiac surgery center at the State Scientific-Practical Center for Surgery named after A. Syzganova "in Alma-Ata
• Telemedicine
• 2010 - UNHS introduced - Unified National Health System

If there are 6 thousand names of drugs (600 of them are produced in Kazakhstan), the volume of the Kazakhstani drug market is estimated at $ 400 million per year.

According to the Minister of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan imports up to 95% of medicines. At the same time, 97% of the turnover of drugs goes through the private sector.

40 percent of pharmaceutical funds are spent by the state, while citizens also actively participate in the market, providing 60% of sales ^[3] . At the same time, the top 10 drugs sold include drugs that generally do not have evidence ^[4] .

More than half of the free drug supply is implemented in Kazakhstan at the outpatient level (in hospitals - approximately 45 percent) ^[5] .

Today in Kazakhstan there are more than 100 foreign representations of pharmaceutical companies. The largest suppliers of pharmaceuticals to Kazakhstan are Russia , Germany , France and the USA .

The volume of the Kazakhstani market for medical equipment has grown sharply over the period 2001-2004 and amounts to about 115 million US dollars per year. However, the market is still heavily dependent on imports of medical equipment, which account for 90% of the total market

According to analysts, the most priority sectors of the medical equipment market are:

• Electromedical equipment
• Diagnostic equipment
• Medical lasers
• Endoscopes
• Dental equipment

Medical education in Kazakhstan is provided in public and private universities, colleges, research institutes and research centers.

List of medical universities in Kazakhstan

• West Kazakhstan State Medical University named after Marat Ospanov (ZKGMU named after M. Ospanov)
• Medical University of Astana (MUA)
• Kazakh National Medical University named after S. D. Asfendiyarov (KazNMU)
• Karaganda State Medical University (KSMU)
• Semey State Medical University (SSMU)
• South Kazakhstan Medical Academy (former SKFFA)

Kazakh-Russian Medical University

• Densaulyk Zholy - a medical journal in Kazakh
• Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan
• Medical organizations of Kazakhstan

• Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan
• Medical portal of Kazakhstan
• Doctors of the Republic of Kazakhstan
• Health systems: a time of change (neopr.) . European Observatory on Health Systems . World Health Organization (1999). Date of treatment March 26, 2014.