Doctors to be protected from attacks: Ministry of Health proposes new payments

Tengrinews.kz — The Ministry of Healthcare of Kazakhstan has drafted an order providing insurance coverage for healthcare workers, payments to doctors who suffer violence on the job, and new regulations for interactions between medics, patients, medical organizations, and insurers. The document was published on the official portal "Open NPA" (Open Legal Acts).
Proposed changes to healthcare worker insurance
According to the document, the draft order aims to improve professional liability insurance for healthcare workers, as well as life and health insurance during the performance of their professional duties.
The Ministry of Healthcare believes the new rules will increase the social and legal protection of medical staff while simultaneously improving patient protection mechanisms.
One of the proposals is to introduce a standard coinsurance agreement for the life and health of healthcare workers while they are on duty.
The project also envisages expanding professional liability insurance coverage. It is intended to cover not only practicing physicians but also interns and residents during their training.
Protecting doctors from workplace violence
The draft specifically outlines cases where a healthcare worker can receive insurance compensation for harm caused to their life or health. This includes instances where they are victims of violent acts by others while working.
The project also modifies the rules for concluding and executing professional liability coinsurance contracts for specialists.
The authors of the document propose:

"Improving the procedure for making insurance payments and the interaction between healthcare entities, medical workers, patients, and the administrator of the unified insurance (reinsurance) pool."

Impact on medics and patients
The Ministry of Healthcare expects these new mechanisms to enhance the protection of healthcare workers on the job—including interns and residents—and reduce legal and financial risks for all participants in the healthcare system.

"The goal of the project is to create a comprehensive system of insurance protection for patients, medical organizations, and healthcare workers," the document states.

According to the project's authors, the new rules should:

increase the social and legal protection of healthcare workers,
improve professional liability insurance,
ensure insurance payouts to patients if harm is caused to their life or health as a result of medical activities.

Public discussion of the draft will continue until September 16, 2026.