Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov held a meeting of the Council on improving the investment climate on the development of the health sector with the participation of heads of embassies of the United States, the European Union, Canada, the American Chamber of Commerce, as well as regional directors of international companies, industry leaders, such as Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Kazanada LLP, La Roche and others.

"In his Address to the Nation, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasised the need to implement comprehensive measures to improve the health of the nation. Given the importance of this task, the Government is taking all measures to improve the healthcare system. We aim to increase investment, localise production, and create clusters of high-end manufacturing with the participation of investors. I am convinced that active interaction and exchange of views within the Council will give additional impetus to our joint efforts to develop healthcare and increase business activity in Kazakhstan," Olzhas Bektenov said.

Kazakhstan is undergoing a large-scale modernisation of its medical infrastructure with a focus on strengthening rural and primary health care. Under the National Project Modernisation of Rural Health Care, 467 medical facilities have been built in rural districts. Consistent modernisation of multi-disciplinary hospitals in the districts continues.

Digital solutions are being actively applied with the gradual digitisation of all processes, including outpatient drug provision. Artificial intelligence technology is being introduced to diagnose diseases and use personalised AI assistants for doctors and patients. A Unified Medical Data Repository is being created, thanks to which 100 per cent coverage of doctors' information with control over its completeness and quality will be achieved.

Attention is paid to measures to stimulate localisation of pharmaceutical production. In order to increase the share of domestic production of medicines and medical devices to 50 per cent by 2029, the Government has strengthened efforts to improve the country's business climate. The legislation provides for investment preferences, including tax incentives, in-kind grants, long-term contracts, etc. Legislation to bring medicines to market has been simplified from 2 years to 100 working days. 90 long-term contracts have been concluded with 34 manufacturers for the production of about 2.5 thousand pharmaceutical products. Active cooperation has been established with leading global pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Roche, etc. to localise the production of innovative drugs, including technology transfer and personnel training.

During the meeting, in addition to the prospects of attracting investments in the healthcare sector, the participants discussed problematic issues and ways to solve them in dialogue with the business community.

Jeff Ehrlich, Executive Director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Kazakhstan, noted Kazakhstan's progress in the healthcare sector. According to him, over more than 20 years in the country, he has witnessed significant improvements that have had a positive impact on the nation's health. He emphasised that the growth of health indicators is accompanied by the introduction of new technologies and quality equipment. Jeff Ehrlich also emphasised the importance of free trade and reaffirmed the readiness of the US Chamber of Commerce to strengthen trade relations with Kazakhstan.

US Charge d'Affaires Deborah Robinson touched upon the issues of strengthening the protection of intellectual property rights for medicines and the introduction of regulatory mechanisms that meet international standards and best practices.

The Ambassador of the European Union in Kazakhstan Aleška Simkic in her speech noted the positive results of co-operation between the EU and Kazakhstan in the health sector. In particular, high praise was given to the EU project implemented with the support of WHO in Kazakhstan and Central Asia, as well as interaction through the EU-Kazakhstan High Level Platform and the bilateral Working Group on Market Access in Health and Health Policy.

Canadian Ambassador to Kazakhstan and concurrently to Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan Christopher Duggan emphasised the importance of cooperation in the development of innovative technologies to attract investors and support talent. In particular, Canada's interest in strategic partnership with Kazakhstan in the field of transformation of the health care system through education, introduction of advanced technologies, etc. was noted.

General Director of Johnson & Johnson in Kazakhstan Adilet Nazarbayev actualised the issue of availability of oncological drugs for patients within the framework of state funding. The importance of reducing the period from the moment of registration to the reception of the drug by cancer patients to 100 days was noted and today the Ministry of Health is working on this issue.

Pfizer Regional Director for Kazakhstan, Central Asia, Caucasus and Mongolia, member of the Board of Directors of the American Chamber of Commerce Dmitry Kozenkov emphasised the importance of launching contract manufacturing of original patented drugs in Kazakhstan as a qualitative step in the development of the pharmaceutical industry.

President for Central Asia, GE HealthCare Dmitry Zanchev noted the potential of Kazakhstan to become a technological production hub in the region. Particular attention was paid to the effectiveness of tools to attract investment.

Director of AstraZeneca Kazakhstan Maria Shipuleva expressed support for the course of the President of Kazakhstan to increase the share of domestic production of medicines.

"We support the course of the Head of State to increase production to 50% by 2029, as well as attracting international investment in innovative pharmaceuticals. Three innovative companies, including ours, have decided to localise at Kazakhstani production sites. We have already invested about $5 million. By 2030, the amount of investment will be about $40 million. The first batch of goods will be released in a month," she said.

The company director emphasised that such projects not only contribute to the development of science and innovative diagnostics, but also create highly qualified personnel. According to her, international companies have started to invest more actively, having seen the support from the state and interest in initiating such projects.

Kevin Frick, General Director of Kazanada LLP, noted the need to modernise the system of training specialists for emergency medical care. According to him, today only specialists with higher medical education can teach such courses, which limits opportunities. Kevin Frick suggested allowing paramedics and nurses with specialised training to train and teach, as is common in international practice. He also stressed the importance of equipping Kazakhstan's colleges with international programmes on various types of emergency care so that graduates can work effectively in the ambulance service from day one.

The Minister of Healthcare of Kazakhstan Akmaral Alnazarova commented on the issues and proposals voiced. It was noted a significant increase in the volume of outpatient care, which has increased more than 3 times since 2018 and reached 250 billion tenge. Today, the Ministry of Health is updating the list of outpatient drug supply, taking into account the impact of drugs on mortality, life expectancy and disability. The issues of digitisation of business processes and registration of pharmaceutical products on the principle of ‘single window’ will be completed by 1 July this year. Also, the mechanisms of pricing of medicines have been revised, integration of information systems with the databases of the Ministry of Finance and customs services has been introduced, which allows to ensure transparency, price stability and promotion of competition.

Following the results of the meeting of the Council on improvement of investment climate Prime Minister instructed the Ministry of Health to work out the proposals and recommendations of foreign partners.

#Olzhas Bektenov #The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan #Healthcare #Investments

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