In 2025, Kazakhstan recorded a rise in hospital-acquired infections, prompting the Ministry of Health to develop new rules requiring all medical facilities in the country to conduct internal infection audits, reports infohub.kz.
The Ministry of Health is strengthening its system for preventing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) to improve patient safety. The relevant draft order has been developed and is undergoing state registration.
According to the World Health Organization, one in ten patients worldwide encounters such infections while receiving medical care. In Kazakhstan, the registration rate of HAIs in 2025 increased 1.41 times compared to 2024. The highest number of cases occurs in maternity hospitals, where purulent-septic infections are frequently recorded.
The introduced internal infection audit aims to prevent risks: timely detection of violations and elimination of their causes. The frequency of scheduled inspections is not disclosed, but unscheduled audits will be conducted under certain risks.
As part of the checks, the following will be assessed: hand hygiene compliance by medical staff, adherence to aseptic and antiseptic rules, quality of disinfection and sterilization of medical devices, use of personal protective equipment, infection prevention in surgery and high-risk departments, safety of medical procedures, handling of medical waste, and staff training on infection safety.
The Ministry believes that introducing the audit will not only reduce the risks of hospital-acquired infections but also cut healthcare system costs for treating infectious complications.
Earlier, the Ministry prepared a draft for the planned update of the list of medicines whose prices are controlled by the state. The new version of the document includes nearly 3,000 drugs.