Further measures to improve the quality of obstetric and gynecological care were considered at a meeting of the Coordination Council for Improving the Work of Obstetric Services, chaired by the Minister of Health Akmaral Alnazarova.
According to WHO estimates, Kazakhstan is among the 10 countries with the highest dynamics of improving this indicator. The report of the international organization noted that maternal mortality in the republic has decreased by 76% over the past 20 years, which was achieved through the implementation of effective systematic measures to improve the quality of medical care for women during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period.
During the meeting, the Chief Obstetrician-Gynecologist of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Chief Non-Staff Infectious Diseases Specialist of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Chief Medical University of Astana, the M. Ospanov West Kazakhstan State University, the Semey Medical University, the S. The heads of the Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the Asfendiyarov KazNMU, together with expert doctors, discussed topical issues of improving the work of the service.
This is a close relationship between the primary healthcare system and obstetric organizations, training medical workers in the best obstetric practices at the level of district hospitals, improving the quality of prenatal care, and providing future mothers with pre-pregnancy preparation (pregnancy planning).
"In 2024, the lowest maternal mortality rate was recorded in Kazakhstan for the first time, which was the result of systematic comprehensive measures taken by the Ministry of Health, as well as the joint work of a multidisciplinary team of experts, obstetricians, and obstetric service specialists at the primary healthcare level. Compared to 2023, a 12% reduction in maternal mortality was achieved, which amounted to 10.1 per 100,000 live births,” Magripa Embergenova, Director of the Department of Maternal and Child Health, noted in her speech.
The measures taken in recent years, including updating the standards for organizing obstetric care, optimizing the routes of pregnant and postpartum women, as well as strengthening the coordination of all participants in the childbirth process, have yielded results in the form of a significant reduction in maternal deaths both in the center and in the regions, the participants of the Coordination Council noted.
According to the results of 2024, 706 critical cases were registered in the field of childbirth, 95% of which were saved as a result of the systematic measures taken. The indicator of critical cases in the country per 1,000 births is 1.9, while last year it was 2.2. Since 2021, there has been a 40% decrease in critical cases, but there has been an increase in pregnant women with severe somatic pathologies diagnosed for the first time during pregnancy.
In order to improve the situation in providing medical care to pregnant women, the Ministry of Health holds weekly “Obstetric Hours” with the regions, and daily monitors women with severe pathologies.
Last year, together with the National Center for Emergency Medicine, 2,140 remote medical services were provided to 906 pregnant and postpartum women; 165 flights were made by ambulance; 9 women underwent surgery locally; 127 women in critical condition who were transported to regional and republican clinics were saved.
In the field of obstetrics, anesthesiology and intensive care, cardiology, surgery, neurosurgery, infection, pulmonology, vascular surgery, hematology, urology, gastroenterology, etc. In the fields of medicine, the practice of telemedicine consultations is being widely introduced, involving more than 40 leading specialists, professors and employees of scientific and republican clinics.
“It is necessary to strengthen the responsibility of general practitioners for the health of pregnancy at the clinic level, revise educational programs in order to expand their skills and knowledge, attract personnel in the local areas, create incentives for their advanced training, as well as raise the status of specialists working in the most difficult areas - in our maternity hospitals and perinatal centers. It is necessary to give clear priority to the provision of medical care to pregnant women, primarily ensuring their safety, and solving the problems of resuscitation and anesthesiology in the local areas,” A. Alnazarova noted.
For the timely identification and treatment of pregnant/parturient women with pathologies and complex conditions, the Ministry of Health has approved a special program and revised 25 priority clinical protocols for childbirth. In addition, republican and regional expert councils on topical issues of obstetric care and multidisciplinary teams of leading specialists have been formed to provide emergency response and round-the-clock consultation to pregnant women in serious/critical conditions. In addition, separate posts have been organized in each region for the hospitalization of women in serious conditions.
To further improve medical care for pregnant women and postpartum women, the Ministry of Health plans to improve the quality of preventive examinations and dynamic monitoring of women of childbearing age (WPA) within the framework of the implementation of the "Maternal Health" program. This is aimed at increasing the detection of extragenital diseases before pregnancy, increasing the coverage of women with contraception to 40% and pre-pregnancy preparation to 45%.
Also, rotation and internship programs will be implemented on the basis of training centers for district doctors and midwives, and an assessment of the knowledge of medical workers will be carried out at the level of the National Center for Obstetrics and Gynecology. This year, it is planned to train 100 coordinating obstetricians from 20 regions.

In order to combat hospital-acquired infections, the "No Infection" program will be developed, which will provide for the training of 40 hospital epidemiologists-coordinators to lead the activities of maternity organizations, and new indicators for infection control will be introduced.
Following the results of the meeting of the Coordination Council, it is planned to take a number of measures aimed at improving the quality of medical care for pregnant women and mothers in the regions of the country.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/dsm/press/news/details/945375