(14 January 2026 | Source: Centralmedia24.kz)
Kazakhstan's healthcare system in rural areas has approached a dangerous threshold: one in five medical workers in the country is of pre-retirement age, and in rural settlements this proportion is even higher.
According to Mazhilis deputy Guldara Nurumova, the failure of local authorities to make payments to young specialists is worsening the staff shortage and threatening the stability of the entire system.
WHY THE DOCTOR ATTRACTION PROGRAMME IS NOT WORKING
According to Centralmedia24, the deputy reminded that the election programme of the Amanat party included measures to reduce the shortage of medical personnel.
Specifically, the relocation allowance for young specialists sent to work in rural areas was increased to 100 minimum wages (MW), amounting to 8.5 million tenge. However, according to her, the practical implementation of these decisions is "stalling", and the staffing situation remains tense.
REGIONS WITH THE GREATEST SHORTAGE
According to data presented in the Mazhilis, the North Kazakhstan Region is among the areas with the most acute shortage of doctors: per 10,000 residents, there are only 32.7 specialists. Moreover, in the North Kazakhstan Region and the Akmola Region, payments to young doctors were not made at all, and in the Abai Region, according to the deputy, decisions on such payments were never even taken.
DEMANDS TO THE GOVERNMENT
Guldara Nurumova stated the need to move from general assessments to concrete actions. In particular, the government was asked to provide:
- a list of regions with an explanation of the reasons for the payment failures;
- data on the funds allocated in regional budgets;
- information on the amounts actually distributed to medical workers;
- details of response measures taken against local officials who allowed the programme to fail.
According to the deputy, without eliminating bureaucratic red tape, state decisions to support rural healthcare lose their meaning.
RELATED SYSTEMIC PROBLEMS
Earlier, Mazhilis deputy Askhat Aimagambetov also drew attention to systemic failures in the healthcare sector. He pointed to a shortage of ambulances, rapid wear and tear of equipment, and difficulties with civil liability insurance for ambulance drivers.
Furthermore, in some regions, the shortage of ambulance staff and crews, according to him, has reached such a level that medical workers have to respond to calls by taxi.