Amanzhol Altai, a deputy of the Mazhilis, has submitted a formal request to the Ministry of Health proposing tighter oversight of centers operating under labels such as “Eastern medicine,” “Chinese medicine,” “acupuncture,” and “manual therapy.” The central proposal is the creation of an open digital register of such institutions, particularly those involving foreign specialists.
According to the deputy, he regularly receives complaints from citizens about the provision of medical services without proper licenses or verified qualifications, the performance of invasive procedures in violation of sanitary standards, the use of unregistered medicines, and misleading advertising that promises to “cure” serious illnesses.
Altai also said that some centers operate for only short periods before changing their names or addresses in order to evade oversight. Of particular concern, he noted, are cases in which foreign nationals without confirmed medical education present themselves as doctors.
“We are talking about citizens of the People’s Republic of China who present themselves as qualified specialists, see patients for several months, and then close the center and leave the country,” the deputy said.
In his view, such practices pose a direct threat to patients’ life and health and undermine trust in the healthcare system. At the same time, some services offered under the branding of “traditional Chinese medicine” are classified as medical activities under Kazakh law and therefore require licensing, certified qualifications, and compliance with established regulatory standards.
In this context, Altai proposes not only establishing a digital register of these organizations but also issuing official legal clarifications on the status of such services, strengthening interagency control over the circulation of unregistered medicines, and tightening oversight of online advertising for these centers.
The Times of Central Asia previously reported on the risks of drug shortages in Kazakhstan amid proposed changes to tax policy.
