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Tengrinews.kz - Kazakhstan's Ministry of Healthcare has clarified that citizens with diabetes will not have to make additional payments following the transfer of diabetes-related services from Guaranteed Volume of Free Medical Care (GVFMC) to the Mandatory Social Health Insurance (MSHI) system.
What happened
Earlier, the ministry announced that treatment and support for diabetes patients would now be covered under the MSHI package instead of GVFMC. The move sparked concern among patients, some of whom posted videos online pleading not to be left without support.
Tengrinews.kz reached out to the ministry for clarification: will patients with diabetes be required to make extra payments, or will existing insurance contributions suffice?
Healthcare ministry's response
Health Vice Minister Yerzhan Nurlybaev confirmed that no additional fees would be imposed on patients due to their condition.
"Having diabetes does not affect the amount of contributions," he said during a briefing at the Central Communications Service.
He stressed that only standard MSHI contributions—already paid by citizens—would apply.
"The government's goal is not to cut costs with this legislative change. Before presenting this initiative, the healthcare ministry and other government bodies conducted a thorough analysis. More than 95 percent of diabetes patients in Kazakhstan are already insured," Nurlybaev explained.
He also noted that most uninsured individuals fall into the economically active category, meaning they can afford to make regular contributions. For those without such means, particularly from socially vulnerable groups, financial support may be allocated from local budgets.
How many people in Kazakhstan have diabetes?
According to the 2025 data from the national electronic registry of dispensary patients, Kazakhstan has 535,033 registered diabetes patients, including:
- 504,456 people (95%) with type 2 diabetes;
- 30,577 people with type 1 diabetes, including 5,625 children under the age of 18.
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