Ambulances not for everyone? When the new rule will take effect

Tengrinews.kz - A much-discussed new regulation, which will prevent emergency medical services from providing round-the-clock assistance to all patients without exception, is set to come into effect next year, Deputy Minister of Healthcare Yerzhan Nurlybayev announced.
In September this year, news of the draft order published on the "Open NPA" portal alarmed many Kazakhstani citizens. According to the draft, emergency medical services would no longer be available 24/7 to all patients indiscriminately. Later, information circulated online claiming the change would not be implemented. To clarify, Tengrinews.kz reached out to Deputy Minister Nurlybayev.

“The draft order was posted on 'Open NPA' to collect feedback and suggestions. We reviewed the comments and discussed them with colleagues. Some proposals were very reasonable and constructive, and we took them into account. The order will come into effect on April 1, 2025. This gives regions time to prepare. Many regions are currently acquiring ambulances and assembling teams as part of the preparation for implementing the project. Rest assured, the implementation will not harm Kazakhstani citizens,” Nurlybayev stated.

To recall, the updated rules for providing emergency medical care outline four categories of urgency for ambulance calls:

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 category 4 calls not around the clock, but on a schedule: from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM on weekdays and from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM on Saturdays.