Kazakh Health Ministry pledges to procure essential medicines

Kazakh Health Ministry announced the delivery time of a medicine for patients after organ transplantation. The relevant department pledges to purchase the vital medicine “Sandimmun Neoral” within the next ten days. Kazakh Vice Minister of Health Zhandos Burkitbayev said this during a working meeting on the activities of “SK-Pharmacy”. He noted that the supply will cover the increased demand of patients for this medicine for a period of six months. Direct negotiations are currently underway with a European producer on the further purchase of this medicine. People in Kazakhstan who underwent transplantation have previously declared the threat of rejection of the transplanted organs. The patients wrote a public message to the Head of State with the sore question and requested to create a special commission for the proceedings. Zhandos Burkitbayev highlighted that the issues on the supply of orphan medicines to the country, which are necessary for the diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases that pose a threat to the health or life of patients, are under the systemic control of the Health Ministry.

“Unfortunately, there is no proper solution in the world for providing orphan medicines. We are considering several options, including the Russian experience to resolve this issue. Health Ministry is concerned by this question and we intend to make a balanced proposal in order to resolve this question,” said Zhandos Burkitbayev, Kazakh Vice Minister of Health.