Kazakhstan has introduced updated rules for preventive medical checkups of children. The changes affect the age and frequency of several examinations, reports infohub.kz.
Now, blood pressure is measured starting at age 6, whereas previously it was done from age 7. An electrocardiogram (ECG) is scheduled at ages 10, 14, 15, and 16.
General blood and urine tests are required at ages 1, 2, 2.5, 5, 10, 14, and 16. A mandatory oral examination schedule has been approved: at ages 2 and 2.5, then annually from ages 3 to 17. Head circumference is measured in children up to 5 years old (chest circumference measurement has been removed). Pulse oximetry, which determines blood oxygen levels, is performed on all children from 1 month to 18 years.
The requirement for voluntary informed consent to medical intervention is now officially established: for children under 16, consent is given by parents or legal guardians, and from age 16, adolescents can make this decision independently. Test and examination results must be available to parents through the digital health system or mobile app.
Additionally, physical education for students is now divided into four groups: main (health groups 1–2), preparatory (group 3), special (group 4), and a group of exempted students (group 5) who engage in therapeutic physical education (TPE).
If symptoms of a disease are detected, the digital system automatically generates a referral route for the child to see specialists via a pediatrician or general practitioner. The scope of dynamic monitoring has also been expanded: now not only children with chronic diseases but also those with functional abnormalities or risk factors are placed under observation.