A renowned Kazakh neurosurgeon, the Deputy Director for Surgery at the Medical Centre of the President's Affairs Administration of the Republic of Kazakhstan (MCPA ARK), Mynzhylky Berdikhojayev, has complained about the lack of quotas for performing emergency surgical operations and the rude treatment from staff at the Compulsory Medical Insurance Fund (CMIF).
On his Facebook page, Berdikhojayev published an MRI scan of the cerebral vessels of a resident of Astana. As the neurosurgeon noted, the patient is in an extremely serious condition and requires emergency surgery.
"The patient's right internal carotid artery is blocked, and the left one was previously operated on - a carotid endarterectomy was performed (a surgical procedure to remove plaque from the carotid artery, used to reduce the risk of stroke – ed. note).
Also, the only conditionally functional left vertebral artery is narrowed in its intracranial part. The other vertebral artery is blocked. The cause of all this is atherosclerosis," the neurosurgeon states.
However, operating on the patient at the Presidential Clinic this year is not possible due to the lack of quotas for high-tech medical services (HTMS). According to Berdikhojayev, if medics deviate from the established rules and perform the operation, the hospital faces a fine from the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF).
The doctor noted that he, on his part, has referred the patient to the Central Clinical Hospital of Almaty, where quotas for such surgical operations are still available. As a possible alternative, he also suggested the patient contact other hospitals in the city.
"The patient will most likely suffer a stroke in the near future, and if he is lucky, he will be operated on, <…> but he will be admitted as an emergency and in a very serious condition. If he doesn't die on the spot, there will be resuscitation and lengthy rehabilitation afterwards," Berdikhojayev summarised.
According to the neurosurgeon, the Compulsory Medical Insurance Fund employs experts with no clinical experience, who allow themselves to behave with rudeness when communicating with colleagues.
"It's impossible to talk to them, and they immediately accuse you of being a 'big head'. That's what they told me – 'Mynzhylky Sailauovich, you've got a big head.'
Officials who are not ready to pay for prevention will spend money on dealing with the consequences.
By the way, the situation with diabetic foot is even worse; fines apply in every case. Expect a rise in leg amputations," Berdikhojayev concluded.