(6 February 2026 | Source: press service of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan)
In Kazakhstan, the digital medicine labelling system has uncovered violations in the circulation of medicinal products. Among the incidents are the sale of medicines intended for free provision to the population, the reuse of labelling codes and the sale of expired medicines. The system’s data was presented at a meeting of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
HOW THE LABELLING SYSTEM WORKS
Since July 2025, a system for labelling and tracing medicinal products has been in operation in the country. The single operator — Kazakhtelecom JSC — has introduced an analytical platform that allows tracking the movement of each package from production and import to retail sale. It is stated that the system enables government bodies to monitor the circulation of medicines in real time and identify anomalies and potential violations.
VIOLATIONS DETECTED
According to the data from the single operator for labelling and traceability of goods, the system recorded:
- more than 15,000 units of medicines purchased from the budget for free provision to the population were sold in the commercial sector;
- over 6,500 labelling codes were used repeatedly more than 385,000 times;
- more than 750 packages of medicinal products with expired shelf lives were sold.
MINISTRY OF HEALTH’S RESPONSE
Minister Akmaral Alnazarova instructed the vice-ministers and structural units to use the analytical platform in their daily work. The main goal is to strictly control the inappropriate use of medicines and ensure the efficient spending of budget funds.