Kazakhstan's Deputy PM Calls for Urgent Drug Supply Reforms After Audit Finds 172% Markups
Deputy Prime Minister Ermek Kosherbaev has called for swift action to address serious violations in Kazakhstan's pharmaceutical supply system. The Supreme Audit Chamber found markups as high as 172% on the market and 35% in budget purchases.
A state audit revealed weaknesses in pricing, quality control, and drug safety monitoring. Kosherbaev stressed the need for all government agencies to work together to ensure drug safety and accessibility, as instructed by the President. To tackle these issues, a pilot project has been launched to reduce registration times to 100 days while maintaining pricing compliance. Minister of Health Akmaral Alnazarova presented a set of measures to address the violations, including reducing drug prices, transitioning to electronic procurement, and creating hospital pharmacy departments.
The meeting discussed the implementation of a digital marking system, which has already seen over 366 million packages marked and more than 80 million removed from circulation. A new price regulation order aims to reduce drug prices by up to 19% for the free drug list and up to 30% for the retail network.
The working meeting, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Ermek Kosherbaev, emphasized the need for immediate and decisive action to reform the drug supply system in Kazakhstan. The identified violations and proposed measures aim to improve drug safety, accessibility, and pricing.
