Rural Medical Outpatient Clinics (RMOCs) and Feldsher-Midwife Stations (FMSs), built in the Akmola Region under the national project "Modernisation of Rural Healthcare", are at risk of freezing in winter due to poor design decisions.
According to the Telegram channel "HALYQSTAN", all new facilities have been equipped with electric heating only, making them extremely vulnerable during low temperatures and power outages.
A total of 38 primary healthcare facilities were built in the region at a cost of 9.8 billion tenge. Of these, 32 have already been commissioned, and 23 have received permits to provide services. However, it later emerged that at -30°C and with frequent power cuts, the medical facilities risk being left without heat.
Head of the Akmola Region Healthcare Department, Nariman Yermek, confirmed the problem.
"Yes, the projects with electric heating are indeed costly. The heating season has already begun and, to avoid risks, some facilities are being converted to solid or liquid fuel. About ten medical institutions are already in the process of switching over. This requires additional investment, but it is economically justified — power outages in the districts are not uncommon," he noted.
As experts note, the standard designs for the outpatient clinics and FMSs were developed centrally and applied across the country without consideration of regional climatic conditions.
While this approach may have been acceptable for the southern regions, for northern areas, where winter temperatures drop to -35°C, electric heating is clearly an ineffective solution.