• Russia and Commonwealth of Independent States

Russia and Commonwealth of Independent States

This paper provides a description of the health system in Kazakhstan and of reform and policy initiatives in progress in the country. When Kazakhstan became independent in 1991, it faced challenges including an oversized and inpatient-orientated system of health facilities and a reduction in health financing. Following improvements in economic growth in 2004 the government initiated a comprehensive National Programme of Health Care Reform and Development for the period 2005-2010. The reform programme addressed key challenges of inequities in terms of health financing between the country’s regions and between the urban and rural areas.

The paper finds that currently, despite an increased emphasis on primary care, the inpatient sector continues to consume the bulk of health funding, and the question of specialised and parallel health services has not been addressed by the reform programme. It recommends that more attention is paid to the quality and efficiency of health services. A system of monitoring and evaluation, as well as the establishment of clinical practice guidelines, could play an important role in achieving these aims. A comprehensive system of human resources planning and the introduction of incentives for health care workers are also needed to ensure that there is a sufficient supply of doctors, nurses and other health care professionals working in rural areas.

[adapted from authors]

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