At the Government Session chaired by Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov, the issue of concluding the academic year and organizing wellness activities, leisure, and employment for students during the summer holidays was discussed.

Delivering her report, Minister of Healthcare Akmaral Alnazarova spoke about the development of school medicine, the strengthening of sanitary control, and the readiness of children's camps for the health season.

Currently, more than 7,000 schools operate across the country, each of them assigned to a local clinic, and 95 % are staffed with nurses.

“By the end of 2024, 90 % of schoolchildren underwent preventive health screenings, which is 9 % higher than the previous year. The share of children under regular medical supervision increased by 3 %. Most commonly identified conditions include diseases of the digestive system, eyesight, respiratory system, as well as dental problems,” Akmaral Alnazarova stated.

As part of the modernization of school medicine, measures are planned to reduce the workload on nurses, open dental offices in large schools, create departments within primary healthcare organizations, revise medical examination procedures, and improve staff qualifications.

The digitization process includes automating vaccination and examination records, online appointment registration, communication with parents via eGov and SMS (1414), and integration with platforms such as Kundelik, Bilim.Class, Bilemal, and EDUS.Mektep.

In cooperation with other agencies, several projects are being implemented: Health Lessons, roadmaps for injury prevention, the Health-Promoting Schools initiative, and a scientific study of school medicine through 2030.

Akmaral Alnazarova also reported on current efforts to monitor compliance with sanitary and hygiene regulations in educational institutions.

According to her, 191 schools were inspected in 2025, including 54 canteens.

The inspections revealed systemic violations, including deteriorated building conditions, lack of sanitary-epidemiological conclusions, school overcrowding, and unsatisfactory sanitary and technical conditions.

Following the inspections, 150 formal orders were issued, fines totaling more than 12.7 million tenge were imposed, 31 individuals were suspended from duty, and six cases were sent to court.

The minister noted that food poisoning incidents among schoolchildren, particularly in the Mangystau region, remain a serious concern. This has highlighted the need to revise safety approaches in educational institutions.

To address these issues, the Ministry of Healthcare has developed new control measures, including:

• granting special status to facilities accommodating children;

• eliminating advance notification prior to inspections;

• introducing a system of regular monitoring visits to bring conditions into compliance with sanitary and epidemiological standards.

In addition, the Minister presented the new Nutrition Standard and a multi-option sample menu developed in line with international dietary recommendations. These will be introduced in educational institutions starting from September 1, 2025, as instructed by Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov.

“The new Nutrition Standard is aimed at improving the quality of meals and reducing health risks. In particular, it provides for a reduction in sugar by up to 3.6 times and salt by up to 5 times in order to lower the risk of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular, and other diseases,” Akmaral Alnazarova stated.

According to her, this measure will contribute to a reduction in non-communicable diseases: childhood obesity by up to 15 %, diabetes by up to 20 %, arterial hypertension by up to 18 %, and other chronic diseases by up to 15 %.

The Ministry of Healthcare also reports that the Nutrition Standard includes a menu for small schools without canteens and introduces, for the first time, the concept of the Food Waste Index, which helps assess students’ satisfaction with school meals.

The new Nutrition Standard applies to educational and preschool institutions.

Work is also underway to ensure sanitary-epidemiological safety and medical supervision in children's summer camps. Before the start of the season, each camp, including tent camps, is required to obtain a sanitary-epidemiological conclusion. According to the Ministry of Healthcare, in 2024, 19 % of camps failed to complete preparations on time and were unable to accept children.

To safeguard children's health during the summer, each seasonal camp is assigned a specialist from the sanitary-epidemiological service, outreach efforts are being conducted with camp administrators, and a dedicated hotline has been set up by the Committee for Sanitary and Epidemiological Control.

Akmaral Alnazarova urged local authorities to accelerate preparations and ensure that all repairs, landscaping, utility checks, provision of equipment, and timely receipt of sanitary clearances are completed before the season begins.

The Minister also addressed parents with a recommendation to choose camps listed on the Ministry’s official website and to monitor the health of their children before sending them on summer health holidays.

#Government session #Ministry of Healthcare

• 
• 
• 
•