Hospitals in Almaty will be under police protection.
In a significant move to enhance the safety of medical professionals, Kazakhstan's government has announced plans to toughen penalties for assaults and threats against health workers. This decision comes in response to a recent increase in incidents of violence against doctors in various cities, most notably in Almaty.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has endorsed these measures, ordering that punishment for such offences be made more stringent. The Ministry of Healthcare, led by Akmaral Alnazarova, has proposed the addition of a new article (Article 158-1) to the Criminal Code, which will introduce strict penalties, including imprisonment of up to 15 years depending on the severity and circumstances of the attack.
For instance, threats can lead to up to two years of restricted freedom, assault on one health worker up to seven years, assaults during a state of emergency up to ten years, and attacks on multiple medical workers up to 15 years in prison. These legislative amendments are planned to be presented to parliament in September 2025.
Several recent violent incidents against doctors have spurred these developments. In Kostanay, a surgeon was assaulted by a patient, while two doctors were beaten in Karaganda. Health Minister Alnazarova has publicly appealed to the public to cease violence against medical workers.
These legal measures equate attacks on medical workers with offenses against law enforcement, reflecting the government's strong stance to ensure the safety of health professionals and maintain public order.
The measures are part of an ongoing effort to combat attacks on doctors in various cities. Almaty, in particular, plans to open 36 round-the-clock police posts in medical facilities, with 23 posts in multi-profile hospitals, 5 in children's hospitals, 5 in perinatal centers, and 3 in maternity hospitals. Currently, police posts are already operational in the Central City Clinical Hospital in Almaty, and plans are underway to open similar posts in another 25 hospitals in the city in the near future.
While this initiative focuses on legislative protection, broader healthcare improvements are ongoing in Kazakhstan, including efforts to tackle noncommunicable diseases. However, direct measures regarding physical protection and security protocols for doctors in Almaty specifically beyond legal reforms were not detailed in the sources.
[1] Almaty TV Channel [2] Kazakhstan 2.0 [3] Kazakhstan 24 [4] Tengrinews
- These legislative amendments, aimed at enhancing the safety of health professionals, will equate attacks on medical workers with offenses against law enforcement, as reported by Almaty TV Channel.
- The Ministry of Healthcare's proposal to toughen penalties for assaults on medical professionals includes imprisonment of up to 15 years, following the general-news coverage on Kazakhstan 24.
- Besides the legal measures, Almaty is taking proactive steps to ensure physical protection by opening 36 round-the-clock police posts in medical facilities, as disclosed by Kazakhstan 2.0.
