Astana, 12 November. Five multidisciplinary children’s hospitals with 200 beds each are to be built in Atyrau, Aktobe, Almaty, Shymkent and Kaskelen, the Ministry of Healthcare said.
The construction was discussed at a meeting between Vice Minister of Healthcare Timur Muratov and representatives of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
The total capacity of the new hospitals is 1,000 beds. The ministry expects that thanks to them thousands of children will be able to receive specialised care closer to home and will not have to travel to other regions for treatment.
“Our main task is to make quality medical care accessible to every child regardless of where they live. The new hospitals will expand the capabilities of the regions and create more comfortable conditions for treating children,” Muratov said at the meeting.
Besides the five regional hospitals, the ministry is considering one more project: a national children’s research hospital with 500 beds in Almaty. “We are also considering the construction in Almaty of a national children’s research hospital with 500 beds and are working out the possibilities of partnership with you,” the vice minister told the banks’ representatives.
Construction has not yet begun. According to the ministry, it is carrying out preparatory work together with other government bodies: working on the design documentation and financing mechanisms. The meeting also discussed the HOPE technical assistance project, which is meant to improve the planning and organisation of medical care in Kazakhstan. The sides agreed to continue preparing the investment programme and to determine the next stages.
The ministry links the development of the network of children’s hospitals to the instructions of the Head of State on modernising healthcare. The cost of the hospitals, the construction timetable and the share of the money that the banks will provide are not named in the statement.
What it means: The five hospitals are so far an intention for which money from international development banks is being sought: the design documentation and the financing scheme are still being worked on. The cities and the size of the hospitals have been named, but not the timetable or the price.
Background: The Asian Development Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank are international financial institutions that lend to projects in their member countries. Kaskelen is a town in Almaty Region.
