Kyzylorda Medical Graduate Tells Health Minister of Corruption in Hiring

A Kyzylorda resident with a medical education has said she has been unable to find work in her field for about four years, and that in some cases she was asked for money. Health Minister Akmaral Alnazarova responded to her appeal, infohub.kz reports.

"I graduated from a medical college and have a medical education. But for about four years I have been at home and cannot find a job in my specialty in the city of Kyzylorda. Wherever I apply, I encounter almost everywhere the same problem — they demand money for employment, or you need connections," the young woman wrote in a Threads appeal to the health minister.

She stressed that she very much wants to work, develop, and benefit people, but because of these circumstances she cannot find a job.

"I very much ask you to pay attention to this problem in the city of Kyzylorda. Is it really true that a person with a medical education and a desire to work must pay for the opportunity to simply get a job? I ask you to help sort out this situation and make it so that people can find employment honestly — without money and 'connections,'" the medical worker concluded.

Minister Akmaral Alnazarova responded fairly quickly to the appeal on social media, commenting on the young woman's post.

"Hello, your issue has been assigned to the leadership of the regional health department," the minister wrote.

Kursiv sought comment from the Kyzylorda health department. However, the agency could not immediately say whether an investigation was underway and asked for a written request.

In the comments, Kazakhstanis supported the young woman and even began inviting her to work in their regions, as medicine today is experiencing an acute shortage of personnel.

"Come to Pavlodar. There is plenty of work. No one has to pay," "Come to us in Semey. We have a lot of work for medical staff," Kazakhstanis wrote in the comments.

Earlier, the Health Ministry reported that the official staff shortage, which the introduction of the SUR 2.0 system helped identify, currently stands at more than 23,100 positions, and among mid-level medical personnel — 22,600 people.