Patients at the Republican Specialized Psychiatric Hospital with Intensive Observation in the village of Aktas, Almaty region, are being held in inhumane conditions, according to complaints received by Orda.kz. The complainants allege that staff abuse patients, force them to perform janitorial duties, and for non-compliance, tie them to beds and inject them with drugs causing suffering. They also claim that healthy patients are placed in the tuberculosis ward, fed poorly, have their belongings stolen, and are possibly driven to suicide, reports infohub.kz.
A whistleblower identifying himself as Samat Satarov provided video recordings allegedly taken inside the hospital. He claims that before being sent to Aktas, he served time in correctional facilities where he was tortured, and then from 2022 to February 2026 was held at the hospital. "When I arrived in Aktas, I never expected to encounter a real hell and lawlessness surpassing even the prisons," Satarov said. He said he secretly recorded the abuses and now, while being transferred to a civilian hospital in Talgar, needs lawyers' help to hand over the materials to the Prosecutor General's Office.
In one video, Satarov addresses Health Minister Akmaral Alnazarova, who visited the hospital in October 2025, but patients were unable to speak with her. According to the source, some patients have been at the facility for decades. He claims that state funds never reach the patients, and they have to buy necessary medications themselves. For refusing to perform labor, Satarov says, staff use restraints and injections of haloperidol and aminazine. "When we learned the minister was coming, they fed us so well! They gave us meat patties!" he said.
Satarov describes a group of hospital staff as a "systematic criminal and corrupt organization," accusing them of torture, illegal restraint, forced labor, embezzlement of benefits, and driving patients to suicide. He mentioned the recent arrest of the hospital's deputy director for a bribe of 8 million tenge, calling it just the tip of the iceberg. Among the deceased patients, he names Arman Tleuov and Igor Tuzhilkin. Other patients also confirm being forced to work, including trash collection and repairs, and being required to buy unnecessary items like liquid soap for staff.
Satarov claims that patient Yuri Prikhodchenko was transferred to the tuberculosis ward for being recalcitrant, though he is not ill. Similar posts on social media include one stating that "even the toughest correctional facilities are paradise compared to this hospital." Earlier, Orda.kz published a video in which a man resembling serial killer Nikolai Dzhumagaliyev discusses alleged killings of patients.
The editorial board has sent inquiries to the relevant authorities, emphasizing that the allegations require thorough investigation. The Health Ministry categorically denies incidents of killing, torture, and forced labor. In its response, the ministry stated that one patient died this year and three last year. The hospital practices occupational therapy and uses non-pharmacological methods and medication to calm violent patients. The facility's budget for 2026 is 3 billion tenge, with a daily cost per patient of 12,679 tenge; it currently houses 778 patients.