Kazakhstan Bolsters Healthcare Collaboration with Turkic Nations and World Health Organization
Fresh Take:
Healthcare Leaders Gather in Astana
Astana hosted a crucial meeting on April 8, attended by Olzhas Bektenov, Kazakh Prime Minister, Health Ministers from the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), and Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe. Akmaral Alnazarova, Kazakhstan's Health Minister, presented the outcomes of the OTS Health Ministers' fifth gathering.
Kazakhstan is vividly modernizing its healthcare system, marked by the construction of new healthcare facilities, the establishment of multidisciplinary clinics, and the upgrading of medical equipment. Picture credit: Prime Minister's press service.
The gathering focused on heightening Kazakhstan's collaboration with the OTS, specifically through the exchange of expertise and transfer of advanced medical technologies. Proposals to boost healthcare in Kazakhstan and its partner countries were also under consideration. The meeting participants underscored the necessity of a unified response by the OTS member states to tackle global health challenges, as revealed by the Prime Minister's press service.
Bektenov underscored the importance of joint collaboration to combat large-scale health threats. He highlighted that Kazakhstan is undergoing a significant healthcare transformation, which includes new infrastructure, multidisciplinary clinics, and updated medical equipment. Additionally, Kazakhstan is working tirelessly to strengthen its pharmaceutical sector.
Bektenov praised the significant support offered by WHO in these endeavors. He noted that joint systematic work has resulted in a decline in the incidence of respiratory, circulatory, and mortality rates in Kazakhstan. He expressed Kazakhstan's readiness to share its experience with other OTS countries.
The partner countries applauded Kazakhstan's advancements in health service improvements. The next two years will see a focus on developing primary healthcare, emergency care provision, tuberculosis and other disease eradication, and pharmacological cooperation, specifically with Hungary's relevant government agencies. Discussions on improving water hygiene were also held.
Partnership with WHO
Collaboration with WHO is carried out within the framework of the implementation of two-year cooperation agreements between the WHO Regional Office for Europe and the Kazakh Ministry of Health. For the 2024-2025 period, key areas of cooperation involve universal health service coverage, emergency preparedness, prevention of non-communicable diseases, and implementing the One Health approach.
Kluge commended Kazakhstan's efforts to decrease premature mortality from chronic non-communicable diseases through comprehensive preventive measures. He pointed out that Kazakhstan is one of only ten countries worldwide to succeed in reducing premature deaths from ailments such as cardiovascular disease and cancer.
"The measures that Kazakhstan is undertaking in the prevention sector have made a tremendous impact. Vaping is illegal, a stringent alcohol policy is in place, and a vaccination program against the human papillomavirus is in operation. Today we discuss the second phase of our cooperation, which will include the establishment of the Academy of Primary Health Care (PHC), where young specialists from Kazakhstan will be educated and become pioneering professionals in the modern system of providing care at the PHC level," said Kluge.
Kazakhstan's Healthcare Innovations and Investments
Kazakhstan is embracing and implementing the principles of accessible and quality primary care. The country has introduced a range of initiatives, such as advanced nursing practices, early detection screenings for cancer and cardiovascular diseases, and creating expertise centers for cardiology, oncology, and endocrinology.
Investment in Kazakhstan's healthcare sector saw an 8.4% growth in 2024, reaching approximately $920 million, with a third of that investment originating from the private sector. Investments in the pharmaceutical industry nearly doubled to $91.3 million. The share of locally produced medicines is expected to increase annually, aiming to achieve a 50% local production by 2029.
Over the past five years, Kazakhstan has opened 784 new healthcare facilities, including 467 primary healthcare centers, as part of the National Project for Rural Healthcare Modernization. Life expectancy at birth has also increased by about 3.5 years, reaching 75 years.
Following the meeting, the officials inked a Joint Declaration on health matters, a Joint Action Plan for healthcare, and several memorandums of cooperation in personnel training and biological safety.
On April 7, Health ministers of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) signed a memorandum, transforming Kazakhstan's National Coordination Center for Emergency Medicine into a single platform for cooperation.
- In the meeting, the participants discussed proposals to strengthen Kazakhstan's health system, focusing on medical-conditions like tuberculosis, and implementing advanced science and technology in health-and-wellness practices and infrastructure.
- The collaboration with WHO for the 2024-2025 period emphasizes key areas of cooperation, such as universal health service coverage, prevention of non-communicable diseases, and implementing the One Health approach, aiming to improve science-based solutions for health-and-wellness and medical-conditions.
