Since October 2019, the INTAMT Academy has been implementing the “Development of instruments for the implementation of clinical protocols in the field of health care of pregnant women, women giving birth, young mothers and newborns in the medical practice of the Republic of Kazakhstan”project, which runs until spring 2021 and is an initiative of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan financed by a World Bank loan.
This project was launched with the aim of improving medical care for women and newborns in Kazakhstan. As part of the project, INTAMT carried out the first working visit to Kazakhstan, in which several experts from Germany and Austria participated. The expert group included Mr Univ.Prof. Dr. Christian Dadak (Medical University Vienna/University Clinic for Gynecology), Prof. Dr. Guido Engelmann (Chief Physician of the Children’s Hospital, Lukaskrankenhaus Neuss), Prof. Dr. Peter Hermanek (Head of the Bavarian State Quality Assurance Service), Dr. Pavel Sokolsky (joint anaesthesiological practice, Mönchengladbach), as well as Mrs. Cornelia Reischl (former head midwife, at the University Clinic for Gynaecology Vienna) and Mrs. Elke Czerwinski (former deputy head of ward NICU, Lukashospital Neuss).
In order to gain a first impression of the organisation of medical care in obstetrics and neonatology, the team of experts visited 3 perinatal centres in the Kazakh capital Nur-Sultan. The first perinatal centre to be visited was the University Medical Center at Nazarbaev University (UMC). This clinic with approx. 4,000 births p.a. represents the republican level of medical care. The centre treats women with high-risk pregnancies and newborns and premature infants with severe pathologies. In order to get to know the urban level, the perinatal centre of the 2nd city hospital Nur-Sultan with approx. 11,000 births p.a. was on the programme. Also in this perinatal centre premature babies from the 22 weeks of pregnancy are cared for. On the last day the Akmolinsk regional hospital was visited as an example of a clinic on the district level. In this hospital 2,300 births per year are carried out. In addition to general questions, all hospitals discussed aspects of quality improvement in the course of digitization of the health care system. The medical and nursing staff of the Perinatal Centres were happy to answer all the questions asked in detail. The team of experts was also able to observe some processes in everyday medical life.
At the republican E-health Centre the expert group gained an insight into the possibilities of digital data collection. This center deals with the development and implementation of programs for the collection of patient and treatment data in the medical facilities of Kazakhstan as well as their comprehensive system integration. The second task of the Center is the preparation of statistics in the health care sector.
A highlight of the trip was the meeting of the group with Vice Minister of Health Lyazat Aktaeva. Ms. Aktaeva, formerly a gynaecologist and obstetrician herself, stressed the importance of the project for the improvement of the Kazakh health system and assured full support from the Ministry. The health system of Kazakhstan is in a state of upheaval and is ready for challenging changes, said Lyazat Aktaeva. The current and proven practices of evidence-based medicine from Germany and Austria will be introduced in Kazakhstan. The international team of experts also agreed to give their colleagues from Kazakhstan full support in the implementation of new and revised clinical protocols.
The next working visit is planned for winter 2020. INTAMT’s team of experts will immerse themselves in the everyday life of pilot hospitals in order to be able to observe and analyse the processes of the clinics closely.
