Government Strategic Plan for Health:
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• The Health Ministry’s activity is focused on prevention of the main causes of mortality and disability of people: tuberculosis, circulatory diseases, infant mortality, maternal mortality, HIV infection.
• For example, the Ministry of Healthcare completed construction of 13 healthcare facilities including 4 facilities built within the “Construction of 100 schools and 100 hospitals” and “Construction of 350 healthcare facilities” projects at the expense of the national and local budgets in 201221. Thanks to the National Screening Program which was introduced in the country in 2012, more than 500 psychologists and 2 100 social workers work in the country22. The National Scientific Cardiac Surgery Center opened in Astana to conduct difficult operations and research work. For example, the transplantation of a donor and artificial left ventricle was successfully held there for the first time.[1]
• Numbers of operations were held in Kazakhstan: the operation on transplantation of a liver from a family member was held in the Scientific Surgery Center in Almaty as well as the first operation on transplantation of a kidney and pancreatic gland [1].
• The Ministry priority is now to work on the key directions of the State Program including the events on reduction of maternal and infant mortality, mortality from circulatory diseases, oncology diseases, injuries and tuberculosis. The goal is also to improve ambulatory pharmaceutical provision, develop transplantation, introduce common responsibility for people’s health, introduce innovative projects and transfer advanced technologies to the national healthcare system.
• Nowadays, one of the key challenges in the country is regional inequities in health financing, health care utilization and health outcomes, although presciently mentioned improvements have been recently achieved. But transparency and accountability remain major challenges in Kazakhstan as illustrated by the continued existence of informal payments for health services and a limited involvement of the public in health policy-making. More than this, despite the government’s reforms, ischemic heart disease, stroke and cancer remain the main causes of death while infectious diseases are also a cause of concern due to high incidence rates of HIV and tuberculosis. 
• The new principles of the Concept on United National Health System approved in 2009 are: 1° the free choice of medical organization by patients, 2° the formation of the competitive environment of medical services, 3° the transparency of process of rendering medical services. Their goal is to: 1° Ensure equal access and quality of health services on the basis of free choice of medical organization, 2° Enable and develop the access to highly specialized medical care in the regions, 3° Enable the early recovery treatment and medical rehabilitation, 4° Develop primary health care, hospital-replacing technologies, 5° Standardize diagnostics and treatment methods, 6° Ensure transparency and fairness of the tariff, 7° Implement the “money follows the patient” principle.
• Under the new regulations priorities in primary care are, first, the principle of family service with effective prevention methods and technologies with the active involvement and participation of the population, secondly, free medical, social, psychological assistance, third, the opening of separate services for adolescents, so-called Youth health centers, fourth, the introduction of new economic mechanisms to motivate PHC in achieving good results and good performance. Thus, the Government of Kazakhstan decided in 2014 to improve primary health care and improve the quality of health care for the population.
• A “Strategic Development Plan 2020” has been approved in 2010. It prioritizes improvements in the accessibility and quality of health services. The plan aims to revise health care investments plans, introduce more efficient health financing and provider payment systems, and establish an efficient drug procurement system[2].

[1]Executive Secretary of the Ministry of Healthcare of Kazakhstan, Mr. Serikbol Mussinov, Interview for primeminister.kz 
[2] https://strategy2050.kz/en/

WHO Data on Kazakhstan

Specific policy/norms/regulations for HRA and HIA (or ESHIA) 
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• Health is not yet systematically taken into account by other ministries and agencies and there are no provisions for a health impact assessment in the law neither environmental impact assessment procedure in the Environmental Protection Law. Health impact assessment is not yet adequately developed and is not a compulsory procedure for the development of projects outside the health system. But some NGOs are making efforts to attract public attention to potentially dangerous projects and industries. The Republic Centre for Health Development that was founded in 2011 would aim to become more active in inter-segment collaboration to develop ESHIA regulations. However Kazakhstan makes steady progress toward meeting OECD Guidelines for International Investment and Multinational Enterprises, and the government actively promotes corporate social responsibility[1].  

[1] Executive Secretary of the Ministry of Healthcare of Kazakhstan, Mr. Serikbol Mussinov, Interview for primeminister.kz 
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WHO Data On Kazakhstan