In October 2023, a letter was sent to the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan with the aim of establishing strategic investment cooperation between Kazakhstan and the Kingdom of Bahrain. A similar letter was received by the Minister of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
According to our sources, the letter contained a proposal to implement a medicine monitoring programme from the company Medical Value Chain (MVC). This company provides an authorised control system, which makes it possible to track pharmaceutical products when they are imported into and exported from the country.
The MVC system is also capable of accelerating financial transactions and customs control, eliminating fraud, and identifying the creation of counterfeit products, which, as a result, enhances patient safety. Thanks to this development, it is possible to carry out effective end-to-end control over trade on the black market and prevent inventory management errors at the macro level.
Such a system is more of a necessity, given that the Kazakhstani market has already encountered unsafe medicines. In particular, the drug "Nosh-Bra", manufactured in Russia by the company "Brintsalov-A". According to media reports, in Russia fatalities were recorded associated with the use of this drug.
Furthermore, there is a risk of using counterfeit medical products. "Magic" weight loss pills, various dietary supplements and vitamins are gaining popularity, with money being made from their mindless consumption.
The MVC platform has already been adopted by 32 countries and could be provided to Kazakhstan free of charge under the model operating in the Kingdom of Bahrain and the EU. However, from the beginning of October 2023 to the present day, no progress has been observed in Kazakhstan's acceptance of this proposal.
It will probably surprise no one if, in due course, a similar domestically produced project is unveiled with an inflated budget and reduced effectiveness. Recall the unsuccessful implementation of the "Indigo" platform or the "Damumed" system. Equally notable was the failure of the "Artsport" platform.
For context, previously a demonstration of a medicine labelling system was held at one of the capital's pharmacies, attended by the Vice-Minister of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Beibut Yessenbayev. It is unknown, however, whether the system presented is linked to the MVC platform.
In addition, according to media reports, in 2020, JSC "Kazakhtelecom" developed some kind of product labelling information system. The editorial board of the FBRK has sent a request to the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovations and Aerospace Industry of the Republic of Kazakhstan to find out whether the implementation of this system is continuing.
Meanwhile, ordinary people suffer from counterfeit medicines and unscrupulous pharmacists.