25 September 2024 | 19:30

Ambulance will not be available 24 hours a day for all Kazakhstanis

©️ Tengrinews.kz / Alikhan Sariyev

Tengrinews.kz - Ambulances will no longer provide 24/7 service to all patients without exception. This is stated in a draft order published on the "Open NPA" portal.

Currently, paramedic and specialized teams of emergency medical services (EMS) provide medical assistance to patients around the clock.

The new version of the EMS rules defines four categories of urgency:

1st category – a patient’s condition that poses an immediate threat to life, requiring urgent medical assistance;
2nd category – a patient’s condition that poses a potential threat to life if medical assistance is not provided;
3rd category – a patient’s condition that poses a potential threat to health without medical assistance;
4th category – a patient’s condition caused by an acute illness or exacerbation of a chronic illness, without sudden or severe dysfunction of organs and systems, and no immediate or potential threat to life or health.

According to the proposed new rules, ambulances will respond to 4th category calls not around the clock, but according to a schedule during their operating hours: from 08:00 am to 6:00 pm on weekdays and from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm on Saturday. Sunday will be days off.

The developers of the changes stated that the innovation is related to a lack of funding.

"The current rate does not fully cover all expenses of the emergency medical service when organizing primary health care (PHC). As a result of insufficient funding, there is a lack of profitability in maintaining round-the-clock teams, leading to the accumulation of accounts payable," the document states.

The response times of paramedic and specialized teams to the patient's location from the moment the dispatcher receives the call is as follows:

1st category of urgency – up to 10 minutes;
2nd category of urgency – up to 15 minutes;
3rd category of urgency – up to 30 minutes;
4th category of urgency – up to 60 minutes;
mobile team for organizing primary healthcare (PHC) – up to 120 minutes.

The Ministry of Healthcare clarified the new rule, stating that ambulances will no longer be able to serve all patients around the clock, emphasizing that the changes do not imply the cancellation of home care services.

"Responding to citizens' concerns about delays in ambulance services, the Ministry of Healthcare conducted an analysis which revealed that over 50% of calls fall into the fourth category of urgency, typically handled by PHC, including polyclinics. In this regard, a draft amendment to the standards of PHC and ambulance services has been developed, aimed at improving the accessibility and quality of medical services without canceling home care," the agency explained.

The Ministry also added that the sections related to the registration of home visits by doctors and the organization of home-based inpatient care have been moved to another part of the draft to enhance the document's structure; however, they remain in effect. Healthcare workers in primary healthcare will continue to provide home assistance under the previous standard.

Ministry of Healthcare legislation patients doctors ambulance Kazakhstan

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