The Head of State, who continues his working trip to Aktobe, visited the local medical centre. The President was briefed on the experience of creating a medical cluster and the prospects for applying the cluster approach in regional health care through the example of Aktobe region.
Addressing the participants of the International Scientific and Practical Conference Protecting Public Health: Policy, Science, Education, Practice of Primary Health Care, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called the health of the nation the main wealth of our state.
- Aktobe Medical Centre, established on the Leader of Nation’s instructions, makes a significant contribution to the development of home medicine. Today, residents of the region can receive here quality services in the areas of neurosurgery, pediatric cardiology, transplantology. All areas should strive for this level. There is a corresponding potential for that, the President said.
The Head of State noted the positive dynamics of medical and demographic situation in the country: over the years of Independence, the population of Kazakhstan has increased up by 2 million people, and the life expectancy increased by 6 years.
- The infrastructure has been greatly reconditioned. 219 new hospitals, about 1,200 modern out-patient hospitals and day care settings were built. We have introduced the Unified National Health System. Today, complex surgeries are performed in republican clinics that were previously done only abroad, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said.
The President of Kazakhstan elaborated on measures to further modernize the healthcare infrastructure, improve quality of medical services and medicines, increase their availability, develop domestic medical science, and also digitize the industry.
- Primary care should be as close to people as possible. Quality medical services in full should be available to all citizens regardless of their place of residence. In addition, in the coming years, we need to increase spending on the public health service and primary health care to 60% of the total funding of the industry. As a result, until 2025, spending on prevention will reach the level of OECD countries, the Head of State said.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said that in 2019-2021 about KZT 120 bln. will be allocated for constructing 10 medical facilities in seven regions. As was noted in the speech, over the next three to five years, it is necessary to fully resolve the issues of material and transport support of domestic medicine, including rural.
- The tasks of increasing availability and quality of medical care cannot be realized without solving the problem of raising the status and prestige of the medical profession. From June 1, 2019, wages will be increased up to 30% to certain categories of public sector workers, including doctors. It is necessary to strengthen the requirements for medical universities and colleges for quality of training. Therefore, it is necessary to transfer part of regional clinics to medical universities. Major cities Nur-Sultan, Almaty and Shymkent should become centres of high-tech medicine, the President of Kazakhstan believes.
In conclusion, the Head of State wished success and fruitful discussion to the conference participants.
