Kazakhstan's Doctor Shortage Drops by 19.6% Following Healthcare Reforms

The Ministry of Health of Kazakhstan is implementing a comprehensive overhaul of its medical personnel training and retention system. A key reform involves raising the admission standards for fee-paying medical students, with the Unified National Testing (UNT) threshold now set between 80 and 90 points. Furthermore, students will face mandatory knowledge assessments after their third year, with underperformers being expelled from their programs.

To bridge the gap between theory and practice, an additional 300 hours of specialized subjects have been integrated into university curricula. The ministry has also introduced a system of tripartite agreements linking universities, students, and hospitals to guarantee future employment; this measure has already been adopted by 70% of resident doctors.

To accelerate the entry of young specialists into the workforce, internship programs in six critical fields—including therapy, pediatrics, and surgery—have been reinstated. These efforts are particularly focused on staffing rural healthcare facilities.

Financial incentives for doctors working in underserved areas have been significantly increased. In 2025 alone, 529 physicians in high-demand specialties received relocation grants of 8.5 million tenge each. Overall, the number of medical workers utilizing state benefits and service housing has grown by 30%, attracting over a thousand specialists to rural regions.

Alongside financial support, new measures to protect medical staff are being rolled out. Police posts are being established in healthcare institutions in collaboration with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and body cameras are being procured for ambulance paramedics. Additionally, a professional liability insurance system now covers 190 thousand healthcare workers, backed by an insurance fund totaling 3.1 billion tenge.

The cumulative effect of these reforms is a significant reduction in personnel shortages. The overall deficit of doctors across Kazakhstan has decreased by 19.6%, with an even more pronounced drop of 26.7% recorded in rural areas.