Since the beginning of January, a patient photography system has been introduced in the country's clinics. Cameras record the fact of a doctor's visit.
According to "Channel 31", the innovation was introduced to reduce false registrations, but not all patients agree to the photo capture.
"In just a few seconds, the camera records the patient's presence. The image is immediately sent to the digital medical database. Medical staff already see this innovation as part of their daily work. Patients, however, still need to get used to the fact that photo capture is becoming the norm in the healthcare system", the report states.
It has become known that during the pilot launch of the system in Astana, 36,000 patients refused to be photographed.
"Some patients ask what the photo capture is for, and we explain that it is a new rule. If a person does not want to undergo photo capture, they can provide a special code, which can be found on the egov.kz portal", noted infectious disease doctor at Polyclinic No. 1 in Shymkent, Zhanayim Muratbekkyzy.
The system was introduced to strengthen control over the provision of medical services. It is noted that last year, more than 23,000 fake appointments with doctors worth 208 million tenge were identified in the country's medical organisations.
In turn, the Ministry of Health assured that after identification, the patient's photo is automatically deleted, which eliminates the possibility of data leakage.