Tengrinews.kz - Minister of Healthcare Akmaral Alnazarova commented on the possibility of legislative changes regarding emergency medical assistance for Kazakhstanis.
According to her, no changes to the legislation are planned.
"Emergency medical assistance is currently provided under the Guaranteed volume of free medical care (GVFMC). Regarding the draft law published on the Open NLA portal, there will be no changes in terms of organization, financing, or regulation. Emergency medical assistance will remain free and available 24/7," Alnazarova stated during a briefing in the Mazhilis.
Earlier, in the corridors of the lower house of Parliament, the minister spoke about plans to procure new ambulance vehicles.
"There are issues with the organization of emergency medical services today. Appropriate work has been carried out with local executive bodies and deputies. Next year, 336 units of medical vehicles will be procured, which will improve access to medical assistance. There have been instances and problematic issues in various regions, and a shortage of medical vehicles has been observed," added the Minister of Health.
Earlier, Deputy Minister of Healthcare Yerzhan Nurlybayev commented that a new regulation, according to which emergency services will no longer be available 24/7 to all patients without exception, will take effect next year.
To recall, the updated rules for providing emergency medical care outline four categories of urgency for ambulance calls:
1st category – a patient’s condition that poses an immediate threat to life, requiring urgent medical assistance;
2nd category – a patient’s condition that poses a potential threat to life if medical assistance is not provided;
3rd category – a patient’s condition that poses a potential threat to health without medical assistance;
4th category – a patient’s condition caused by an acute illness or exacerbation of a chronic illness, without sudden or severe dysfunction of organs and systems, and no immediate or potential threat to life or health.
According to the proposed new rules, ambulances will respond to category 4 calls not around the clock, but on a schedule: from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM on weekdays and from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM on Saturdays.
