Authorities to enhance hospital security to protect healthcare workers in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan is reporting a rise in workplace violence against healthcare workers across the country. Minister of Health Akmaral Alnazarova issued an emotional appeal on social media, urging citizens to stop aggression toward doctors.
The appeal followed two unrelated assaults this week. In the first incident, a 42-year-old man attacked a nurse at a private clinic in Karaganda, causing her significant harm. He was immediately detained and later admitted to a mental health facility. In the second case, a young urologist at a regional hospital in Kostanay was brutally beaten by a patient who refused to wait his turn. The doctor sustained serious injuries and was placed in intensive care.
«What level of callousness and aggression must one reach to raise a hand against someone who saves lives every day? It’s tragic that in peacetime, doctors are risking their lives at work,» Alnazarova stated. «This is unthinkable and unacceptable. It’s a crime — one that leaves dozens of patients without care and causes surgeries to be postponed. It’s a direct blow to the entire healthcare system.»
The minister emphasized that emergency departments are already high-risk areas, and such attacks on medical personnel are intolerable. In response, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Internal Affairs have agreed to deploy 24/7 security posts at emergency rooms, children’s hospitals and perinatal centers. Additional measures include installing video surveillance systems, panic buttons and other safety infrastructure.
To help the injured surgeon in Kostanay, authorities are arranging his transfer to the National Coordination Center for Emergency Medicine in Astana via air ambulance.
«In September, we will submit legislative amendments to parliament aimed at strengthening penalties for attacks on healthcare workers. Such acts must be viewed as threats to public safety, not merely as domestic disputes,» Alnazarova stressed.
She also called on society to instill respect for the medical profession from an early age and to foster a culture of gratitude toward healthcare providers.
In December last year, the Health Ministry proposed equipping healthcare workers with body cameras to record incidents and protect them from violence. The Mazhilis — Kazakhstan’s lower house of parliament — has since approved another of the ministry’s proposals: to criminalize violence against healthcare workers.
