GOVERNMENT OF
REPUBLIC OF KAZAKSTAN

Kazakh Government’s Session with Prime-Minister Karim Massimov

Funding of events intended to promote healthy lifestyle in Kazakhstan should be increased at lease 10-fold, Anatoly Dernovoy, Healthcare Minister, said at today’s government meeting.

Funding of events intended to promote healthy lifestyle in Kazakhstan should be increased at lease 10-fold, Anatoly Dernovoy, Healthcare Minister, said at today’s government meeting.

“Matters concerned with healthy lifestyle are of utmost importance. It comes out that a nation’s health depends 50% on healthy lifestyle and only 10% on medicine and subsequent factors”, Kazakh Prime-Minister Karim Massimov said.

“But not to have it remain as mere words, I commission the Ministry of Economics to take all the issues discussed today into consideration as target indicators when putting together strategic plans, and ultimately it will be reflected in funding as well”, Karim Massimov said.

He also reminded that the Head of State, Nursultan Nazarbayev instructed to create a culture-and-sports TV channel. This particular matter will be considered separately at one of the government meetings, - the Prime-Minister said.

Kazakh Health Ministry proposed to create a unified system for distribution of medications to public healthcare facilities on the basis of state-private partnership. In the opinion of the Healthcare Minister this new model will save about 25% of budget funds allocated for the purpose, reduce annual growth of medication prices from 20% down to 5%, ensure equal access to medical aid for the population regardless of the country’s region, improve quality of medial aid thorough ensuring proper storage conditions and reliability of supplies and etc.

The Ministry’s proposal was to introduce the system starting from 2009.

The idea of unified system of medications distribution was supported by Prime-Minister Massimov today. “We must put things right in this sector”, he emphasized.

Prime-Minister also brought to notice that this new medication distribution model will apply to state medical facilities that operate out of state resources only, while private hospitals and pharmacies will remain in the market.

As Anatoly Dernovoy, Healthcare Minister, said such state control over pharmaceuticals distributed to state healthcare facilities will help systematize the pharmaceuticals market.

According to the Health Ministry, turnover of Kazakhstan’s pharmaceutical market makes up from 700 million to 1 billion US dollars, and domestic pharmaceuticals are responsible for meeting not more than 10% of the overall demand for medications.

Kazinform