Free medicines sold in pharmacies: Healthcare Ministry reports hundreds of cases

Tengrinews.kz — Medicines that were supposed to be provided to patients free of charge were being resold in pharmacies. In 2026, violations were identified among 788 entities, Healthcare Minister Akmaral Alnazarova said at a government meeting.
The violations were detected by the digital labeling system. The system also recorded cases of medicines being repeatedly removed from circulation and drugs being sold at prices above the maximum allowed level.

“The number of detected violations has increased tenfold compared with last year,” Alnazarova said.

Administrative reports were drawn up and fines were imposed in all confirmed cases.

“The labeling system introduced in 2024 makes it possible to track the movement of medicines, manage stocks and monitor prices in real time,” the minister said.

How the labeling system works
Each package of medicine is marked with a unique code. The system tracks the movement of the drug and can detect if a medicine intended to be provided to a patient free of charge ends up being sold at retail.