Paramedics and drivers of the ambulance service in Taldykorgan have recorded a video address to President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Minister of Health Akmaral Alnazarova. They highlighted difficult working conditions and the need for systemic changes in the service's operations.
According to Vlast.kz, the key demands of the ambulance workers are a pay rise, a review of staffing policy, granting paramedics appropriate status, lowering the retirement age, and resolving issues with mandatory medical check-ups.
As the paramedics note, their pay level does not match their physical and psychological workload, and a shortage of doctors means that a significant portion of duties falls on mid-level staff.
According to the authors of the address, they have to work with seriously ill patients, carry out diagnostics independently, and make decisions in emergency situations.
They also ask the Ministry of Health to review staffing policy, stressing that the status and level of responsibility of paramedics is effectively equivalent to that of military personnel.
"Every day we lift heavy patients, climb to the upper floors of buildings, work with aggressive, intoxicated or mentally unstable individuals, and serve around the clock regardless of weather conditions. As we get older, it becomes impossible to do this job," the workers noted.
In connection with this, they demand that their benefits be equalised with those of employees of services 101 and 102, and that the retirement age for ambulance workers be lowered.
Ambulance service employees claim that, despite regular deductions for mandatory social health insurance (MSHI), they have to pay for mandatory medical check-ups themselves — twice a year, at a total cost of 20–25 thousand tenge. The paramedics consider these expenses unjustified and ask for the procedure for these examinations to be reviewed.
At the same time, they point out excessive working hours: with a norm of 160–170 hours per month, employees demand that overtime be paid at time-and-a-half.
It will be recalled that earlier, employees of the Department of Radiation Diagnostics and Ultrasound Imaging at the National Scientific Medical Centre in Astana sent a collective appeal to the Minister of Labour and Social Protection of the Population Svetlana Zhakupova, the Chairman of the Majilis Yerlan Koshanov and the head of the capital's Department of Sanitary and Epidemiological Control Aigul Shagaltayeva, asking for a review of the results of their workplace assessments.