31 October 2024 | 08:44

Minister spoke about the new rules for calling an ambulance

©️ Tengrinews.kz / Alikhan Sariyev

Tengrinews.kz - Minister of Health Akmaral Alnazharova commented on the new rules for calling an ambulance in Kazakhstan.

According to her, the public discussion of the new regulations was recently completed, though the document has not yet been approved. However, under the new rules, patients in the 4th urgency category will be able to call for an ambulance from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on weekdays and Saturdays. At other times, they will need to go directly to emergency departments in medical facilities.

"Initially, the draft order provided that ambulance services would continue to operate 24/7 for patients in categories 1–3. For the 4th complexity category, it is proposed to organize primary health care (PHC): at night at emergency stations, and in clinics from 08:00 to 20:00 and on Saturdays," Alnazarova explained in the Mazhilis lobby.

According to her, the initiative came from “experts and representatives of practical healthcare.”

“So, will ambulances only respond to 4th-category cases until 8 p.m.? After 8 p.m., they would need to go to the emergency department on their own?” journalists clarified.
“They will go to emergency medical services,” Alnazarova replied.

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.

Let us recall that in September, a draft order was published on the "Open NPA" portal stating that ambulance services would no longer be able to serve all patients around the clock without exception. The document was open for discussion until October 8.

Later, the Ministry of Health explained the new measure, stating that the changes "do not imply the cancellation of home service."

Mazhilis Majilis ambulance Ministry of Healthcare doctors Medicine

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