Kazakhstan plans to criminalise violence against health workers. The Ministry of Health is developing amendments to the Criminal Code which provide for punishment for violence against and obstruction of legitimate health care activities. These measures were included in the Comprehensive Plan to ensure safety of health workers, approved in April 2024, Sputnik reports.
The reason for raising this problem is a recent attack on a health worker in Kostanay. An ambulance paramedic Anel Baimurzina was beaten by the relatives of a patient who died despite resuscitation. The neighbours called the police.
Minister of Health Akmaral Alnazarova noted that 167 health workers have been injured in Kazakhstan since 2019, of which 46 cases were reported in 2022, 80 cases in 2023 and 9 cases since the beginning of 2024.
«We must send a clear message: violence against health workers is unacceptable and will be punished,» the Minister said on social media.
The Ministry of Health emphasises that such crimes must be followed by fair punishment.
