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How will the ambulance service work in Kazakhstan?

These changes come into force on May 1 of this year; they do not limit citizens’ rights to call emergency services at 103.

Calls of the 4th category of urgency concern conditions that do not threaten the patient's life, in which there is no threat to the patient's life and health, but require medical intervention, the Ministry of Health explained

What will change from May 1?

● mobile teams at clinics will work during their operating hours - from 8:00 to 20:00;

● Category 4 emergency calls (e.g. high blood pressure, temperature, minor injuries) that do not pose a threat to life will be redirected to mobile PHC teams during the working hours of polyclinics;

● after 20:00 and on weekends, all calls, including category 4, will, as before, be handled by ambulance teams.

"As statistics show, more than 50% of ambulance calls are of category 4 urgency and are related to exacerbations of chronic diseases. It must be recognized that such calls divert resources from patients with life-threatening conditions who require immediate assistance. 

The changes will help optimize the workload, reduce waiting times and increase the efficiency of the entire emergency medical service system,” the ministry said.

Now mobile primary health care teams will go out on calls and make scheduled visits to patients at home. This will ensure timely monitoring of the health of citizens and promptly respond to deterioration of the condition, especially in patients with chronic diseases.

Mobile PHC teams are formed at the rate of one team per 25 thousand people. They work at the place of residence or actual stay of the patient, regardless of attachment. 

If necessary, mobile teams can be accompanied by specialized specialists; in particular, children will be provided with the participation of a pediatrician, adults - with the involvement of specialized specialists (cardiologists, neurologists and other doctors) depending on the nature and severity of the patient's condition. This approach will ensure higher quality targeted medical care.

According to the Ministry of Health, the mechanism for calling an ambulance remains the same - by dialing 103, citizens can call for emergency medical care at any time of the day. In cases where the patient's condition poses an immediate threat to life, an ambulance team will arrive regardless of the day of the week and time of day.

The mobile PHC team's arrival time to a call is up to 60 minutes. For more urgent categories, the following standards are provided: 10 minutes for first-category calls, 15 for the second, and 30 for the third.

In the first quarter of this year, ambulance services in Kazakhstan handled over 2.1 million calls. The most numerous calls were registered for category 4 urgency — 763,463 calls, of which over 518 thousand were handled by mobile PHC teams. The number of calls for category 1 was 104,443, for category 2 — 642,312, for category 3 — 574,580 calls. 

The rate of successful resuscitation during the reporting period increased to 55.6%, which reflects positive dynamics in the quality of emergency care.

The Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan emphasizes: calling an ambulance remains available to anyone who needs emergency care. The changes are aimed at increasing the efficiency of the system, reducing waiting times and improving medical care at all levels.

Photo: Kazpravda.kz / Adilbek Tauekelov