On May 18, 2026, Vice Minister of Health Timur Muratov outlined plans to change the approach to distributing free medications in Kazakhstan by 2027.
Media representatives inquired whether SK-Pharmacia LLC's cost effectiveness had been analyzed in terms of patient treatment quality and how much cost reductions could have been achieved if drug procurement had been based primarily on patient needs, rather than solely on the price of the drugs and manufacturers.
"You asked a very good question. I want to say that 3.4 million people in Kazakhstan receive free outpatient medications. And we are probably higher than many countries in this regard. But the problem is, as you just said, not all of these medications are used. Therefore, starting this year, we are moving to personalized requests. This means that patients will receive the exact medications prescribed by their physician. To this end, extensive work is currently underway to implement a digital platform and monitoring system involving SK-Pharmacia, medical organizations, and physicians," Timur Muratov stated.
According to him, the transition to this system is planned to be completed this year, and starting in 2027, patients will be able to receive the medications they need as prescribed by doctors.
Journalists also clarified how the new system will work in practice and whether patients will have to wait a week or a month for the necessary medication after receiving a doctor's prescription due to procurement procedures and supplies.
"No, the question here is about supply. That is, what we'll be collecting applications for now will be prescribed by a doctor to a particular patient with a chronic illness. It's important to understand that outpatient medication provision is provided for patients with chronic conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and others, coronary heart disease, and diabetes. If these patients don't take their medications regularly, this will lead to complications, and they'll be hospitalized. For these patients, we can tailor therapy based on their comorbidities, weight, height, and any other individual characteristics. And we can purchase and provide these medications for a year. The doctor will prescribe the dosage," he continued.
Источник: Фармацевтическое обозрение Казахстана
Media representatives inquired whether SK-Pharmacia LLC's cost effectiveness had been analyzed in terms of patient treatment quality and how much cost reductions could have been achieved if drug procurement had been based primarily on patient needs, rather than solely on the price of the drugs and manufacturers.
"You asked a very good question. I want to say that 3.4 million people in Kazakhstan receive free outpatient medications. And we are probably higher than many countries in this regard. But the problem is, as you just said, not all of these medications are used. Therefore, starting this year, we are moving to personalized requests. This means that patients will receive the exact medications prescribed by their physician. To this end, extensive work is currently underway to implement a digital platform and monitoring system involving SK-Pharmacia, medical organizations, and physicians," Timur Muratov stated.
According to him, the transition to this system is planned to be completed this year, and starting in 2027, patients will be able to receive the medications they need as prescribed by doctors.
Journalists also clarified how the new system will work in practice and whether patients will have to wait a week or a month for the necessary medication after receiving a doctor's prescription due to procurement procedures and supplies.
"No, the question here is about supply. That is, what we'll be collecting applications for now will be prescribed by a doctor to a particular patient with a chronic illness. It's important to understand that outpatient medication provision is provided for patients with chronic conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and others, coronary heart disease, and diabetes. If these patients don't take their medications regularly, this will lead to complications, and they'll be hospitalized. For these patients, we can tailor therapy based on their comorbidities, weight, height, and any other individual characteristics. And we can purchase and provide these medications for a year. The doctor will prescribe the dosage," he continued.
Источник: Фармацевтическое обозрение Казахстана
