Kazakhstan Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in kazakhstan, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
Select Country Guide
Healthcare
Last published date:

Kazakhstan’s healthcare sector represented about 3.7 percent of GDP in the first quarter of 2025. The government continues to prioritize expanding primary care networks, improving public health administration, training medical personnel, and advancing telemedicine—especially in rural areas. Key focus areas include maternal and child health, preventive care, diagnostics, treatment of lifestyle-related diseases, rehabilitation, and personalized medicine. In 2024, roughly $6 billion was allocated from the national budget to support these initiatives.

The State Program for the Development of Healthcare 2020–2025, approved in 2019, aims to raise life expectancy to 75 years and reduce premature mortality from major diseases among people aged 30–70. It also targets lowering maternal mortality from 15.5 to 14.5 per 100,000 live births and infant mortality from 9.0 to 8.3 per 1,000 live births. The program’s total budget is estimated at $7.5 billion (2020 rates). However, infrastructure challenges persist: 50 percent of healthcare facilities are over 40 years old, and despite 80 percent equipment coverage, service quality is declining due to aging assets. Additional issues include inefficient hospital bed use and shortages of doctors and nurses.

To address these gaps, the government is adopting a more strategic approach to infrastructure planning, aligning new medical center locations with long-term population needs. Only nine medical institutions currently meet Joint Commission International (JCI) standards, including the National Scientific Cardiac Surgery Center and the National Center for Maternal and Child Health. The government now requires JCI standards to be integrated from the design stage of major healthcare projects to ensure high-quality care.

Leading Sub-sectors

In 2025, Kazakhstan faced a continued shortage of modern medical equipment, particularly in regional healthcare facilities. Key areas needing investment and modernization include:
•    Electro-medical diagnostic and therapy equipment
•    X-ray and diagnostic imaging systems
•    Cardiology and cardiac surgery equipment
•    Radiotherapy, mammography, and CT technologies
•    Healthcare digitalization and mobile health solutions
 

Opportunities

Kazakhstan’s medical equipment market is valued at around $1.3 billion, with 90 percent of equipment imported due to limited domestic production. The public sector dominates purchases, accounting for 85 percent, mostly through government tenders. Over 37 percent of equipment in use is outdated, prompting modernization efforts in public hospitals. Although 160 companies are registered as medical equipment producers, most are small-scale and unable to meet national demand, and there are no immediate plans to build a strong domestic industry.

To address infrastructure gaps, the government and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) launched a modernization program in 2019. It included building up to 19 new hospitals to replace 40 aging facilities and upgrading 50 percent of hospital bed capacity by 2025. Projects follow Public-Private Partnership (PPP) and Design, Build, Operate, and Maintain (DBOM) models. In October 2024, the EBRD arranged €365 million in financing for a 630-bed hospital in Kokshetau. The Ministry of Healthcare has identified a need for 2,500 healthcare facilities, with the first phase including 34 anchor projects totaling 11,440 beds, such as pediatric oncology and cardiac centers.

Telemedicine is a key focus, especially for rural areas. In September 2025, the Ministry of Health launched the Online Medicine pilot project to provide remote consultations, diagnostics, and treatment for over five million rural residents. Coordinated by the National Scientific Center for Health Development, the initiative aims to reduce doctor workloads, improve logistics, and ensure equal access to care. It marks a major step in Kazakhstan’s digital healthcare transformation, with expected outcomes including better service quality, shorter wait times, and improved public health.

Resources

×

Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

Privacy Program | Information Quality Guidelines | Accessibility