Over the past five years, the mortality rate among newborns with severe congenital conditions after surgery in Kazakhstan has decreased more than threefold, according to infohub.kz.
According to the Ministry of Health, mortality in such cases has dropped from 22% to 6.9%, while postoperative survival has increased from 84% to 93% over this period.
Pregnant women who are found to have fetal congenital malformations are referred to specialized perinatal centers. There, doctors plan in advance the management of pregnancy, delivery, and medical care for the child immediately after birth.
Modern prenatal diagnostic methods allow many congenital pathologies to be detected during pregnancy, including at 18–20 weeks. This makes it possible to prepare for surgery in advance if it is needed in the first days of life. About 1,400 surgeries are performed on newborns annually in the country.
Fetal surgery—operations performed on the fetus during pregnancy—remains a separate area. To date, 39 such operations have been performed in specialized centers in Almaty and Astana.
The ministry also reported that about a third of newborn surgeries are now performed using minimally invasive methods—through small punctures. Since 2022, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has also been used in the country to treat newborns with respiratory disorders.
In the coming years, the Ministry of Health plans to expand the use of genetic technologies, 3D modeling in preparation for complex surgeries, and telemedicine consultations in the regions.
Earlier it was reported that infant mortality in Kazakhstan decreased by 14% in 2025, and maternal mortality decreased by 43% in the first three months of 2026.