Kazakhstan is modernizing its compulsory social health insurance system to improve financial sustainability, expand care for low-income citizens, and enhance service quality. Reforms include infrastructure upgrades, digital tools, and streamlined processes to ensure equitable, accessible healthcare for all citizens by 2026.
Kazakhstan is implementing comprehensive policy reforms to modernize its Compulsory Social Health Insurance (CSHI) system, as presented during a Government session chaired by Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov. Central to these reforms is legislation designed to strengthen healthcare sector sustainability, broaden the range and improve the quality of insured medical services, and provide additional coverage for low-income citizens from 2026 onward through targeted local budget allocations. These changes are intended to make the health system more transparent, fair, and accessible, reflecting the country’s priorities in expanding equitable healthcare access.
Coordination between the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Labor, regional administrations, and other government bodies is a policy cornerstone to ensure consistent implementation of the new insurance mechanism. The reforms preserve existing benefits and procedures for children, pensioners, people with disabilities, and other protected groups, maintaining their entitlements amid broader system upgrades.
Infrastructure improvements form another key pillar, with the government overseeing the completion of 655 new healthcare facilities this year—expanding primary care reach to over one million rural residents. A substantial budget allocation of 3 trillion tenge will fund healthcare delivery in 2025, underlining the scale of state commitment.
To underpin financial management and service quality, the Ministry of Health is charged with strict oversight of resource use, leveraging digital platforms and artificial intelligence, revising healthcare standards, and simplifying procedures to improve patient convenience. The Social Health Insurance Fund must automate and optimize business processes, relaunching its digital platform and enhancing citizen service delivery. Communication and public engagement have also been set as priorities, with plans for extensive outreach on insurance reforms.
Regional authorities are expected to ensure insurance contribution compliance and local implementation of policy changes, overseen by Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev. Overall, these reforms signal a multi-pronged policy drive to ensure that Kazakhstan’s healthcare system becomes more accessible, sustainable, and responsive to citizen needs, supported by new technologies, enhanced governance, and greater investment.
