Implementation of compulsory medical insurance gives a response to global challenges that faces healthcare and assures system financial sustainability

Almaty. 3 May. Kazakhstan Today - Implementation of compulsory medical insurance (CMI) gives a response to global challenges that faces healthcare and assures system financial sustainability said in his interview to news agency Marat Abdullaev, Chief Physician of the City Clinical Hospital No.7 of Almaty.

Global challenges that faces healthcare (increased incidence of non-contagious disease, resource intensity due to implementation of new technologies, elderly population increase) lead to increase of healthcare costs. Implementation of compulsory medical insurance (CMI) gives a response to global challenges that faces healthcare and assures system financial sustainability, reported Kazakhstan Today.

M.Abdullaev noted that healthcare is a resource-intensive industry. "Healthcare is getting more expensive every year, it will continue to go up, and it happens due to various reasons. First of all such examination methods as, for example, ultrasound, computer tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and other have become a commonplace diagnostics tools. Sophisticated examination methods available today enable to diagnose such a disease, which diagnostics was extremely impeded in earlier times. We need to know that having such methods in arsenal of examination methods is really beneficial for a practitioner, for people who became ill, but at the same time, it is extremely expensive. The development history of healthcare in other countries, the development history of healthcare in our country shows that the healthcare will get more expensive from year to year. So, I and you need to create a financially sustainable system that will enable to give a response to all challenges of today" he said.

In his opinion healthcare must be preventative and precautionary. "We do have this system, but we need to develop it further, we need to optimize it, we need to work very closely with people, with population so that everyone would know that health is a wealth given from birth and everyone should think of it " said Chief Physician of the City Clinical Hospital No. 7.

Furthermore he said that today a share of elderly and old age people is increasing. "Due to the fact that the share of elderly and old population is increasing so a number of people with non-contagious diseases such as hypertension, ischemic heart disease, for instance, diabetes etc. is growing. Because the proportion of people with chronic diseases is increasing we need to care for that these diseases of such people will not get progression. We need to be concerned about realization in own practices of such methods of examination and treatment that would enable even in the presence of such disorders to achieve in patients stable course of disease," in conclusion said M. Abdullaev.

We recall, from 1 January 2018 Kazakhstan citizens will gain the right to medical care and make a choice of healthcare institution through compulsory social medical insurance system. Collection of fees and contributions for specific categories of payers to the social health insurance Fund will start on July 2017. On July 1, 2017 fees for the employers will be at a rate of 1% of the payroll with escalation by 3% in 2022. Fees for self-employed people from July 1, 2017 and always will be set at a rate of 5% of the two minimum wages in the corresponding financial year as may be established by law on the Republican budget.

As soon as next year social health insurance Fund will start to fulfill functions of a financial operator under guaranteed volume of free medical care and a Strategic purchaser of medical service in the frameworks of CMI.

To ensure maximum coverage of the population by CMI it has been proposed to set fees for citizens who went outside of Kazakhstan as well as other payers (inactive persons at working age) since January 1, 2018 at a rate of 5% of one minimum wage. The State starts to transfer contributions for socially vulnerable groups on January 2018 at the following rates: January 1, 2018 - 3,75 % of the state contribution center; 1 January 2019 - 4 % of the state contribution center; January 1, 2022 not less 4 but not more than 5 per cent of the state contribution center. Fees of wage earners will remain unchanged: 2019 - 1% of wage, 2020 - 2% of wage.

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