Olzhas Bektenov Holds Meeting on Improving the Healthcare System

Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov held a meeting on improving the system of compulsory social health insurance within the framework of the constitutional reform and the tasks set by the Head of State at the V meeting of the National Kurultai.

Opening the meeting, the Prime Minister noted that the key principle enshrined in the newly adopted Constitution is the human-centered nature of the state. This means that all decisions must be focused on achieving tangible results for citizens.

One of the priority tasks identified by the Head of State is the modernization of the social sector, including the healthcare system. It is necessary to ensure transparency of the compulsory social health insurance system and improve the quality of services provided to the population.

“At the meeting of the National Kurultai, the President clearly identified the main problem — the misappropriation of funds allocated for the health of the nation. This is unacceptable. In this regard, a number of systemic decisions have been made. The Fund has been transferred under the authority of the Ministry of Finance. This has been done to eliminate existing loopholes, prevent false reporting, document falsification and ensure strict financial control. The main principle is that every budget tenge must reach the citizen — in the form of a specific medical service, pharmaceutical product or medical device. All expenditures must be transparent and have a digital trace. Without this, we will not be able to ensure trust in the healthcare system. The outcome of the Fund’s transformation should be the reduction of inefficient expenditures, primarily in the procurement of medicines; resolving supply disruptions through more accurate budget planning and consideration of demographic changes; and optimization of the Fund’s structure with a transition to process automation,” Olzhas Bektenov emphasized.

 

The work carried out since the transfer of the Fund under the management of the Ministry of Finance was reviewed, and new approaches to transforming the compulsory social health insurance system were discussed.

Minister of Finance Madi Takiyev reported to the Prime Minister on the institutional measures being taken. Within the framework of compulsory social health insurance, approximately 3.4 trillion tenge is redistributed annually. The Ministry of Finance has developed amendments to a number of laws aimed at optimizing and improving the efficiency of fund management, bringing voluntary health insurance volumes out of the shadow economy, ensuring uninterrupted provision of medical care to the population, and other measures.