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In a bid to address the rising incidents of violence against medical staff, Kazakhstan is set to introduce stricter penalties for such attacks, treating them as threats to public safety. These legislative amendments, aimed at enhancing the protection of healthcare workers, are expected to be submitted to Parliament in September 2025.
The proposed amendments follow a series of brutal attacks on doctors and nurses in cities such as Karaganda and Kostanay, which have underscored the need for more stringent laws to deter such attacks. The government, led by Health Minister Akmaral Alnazarova, has identified the urgency of legal reform as a priority.
The amendments will supplement the Criminal Code changes made in December 2023, which included penalties for harming medical staff but have proven inadequate given recent events. The new measures will treat attacks on medics similarly to assaults on law enforcement officers, signifying the seriousness of these crimes.
In addition to legal reforms, the government plans to bolster security in healthcare facilities. This includes round-the-clock security posts, surveillance cameras, panic buttons, and increased security personnel at emergency rooms, maternity wards, and children’s hospitals. The aim is to create a comprehensive security system to enhance protection for medical staff.
The proposed amendments have garnered public support, with some advocating for offenders to compensate victims for both material and moral damages, potentially including lifelong compensation if medical staff lose the ability to work due to attacks.
The amendments come in response to a surgeon at a regional hospital in Kostanai who was attacked on July 17, 2025. Since 2019, over 170 cases of attacks on doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers have been registered in Kazakhstan.
Prime Minister Oljas Bektenov chaired a meeting to discuss strengthening the protection of medical workers and enhancing security in healthcare institutions. Bektenov instructed the Ministries of Health, Internal Affairs, and Justice to develop and submit legislative amendments on criminal punishment for violence against medical workers within ten days.
The government is also planning to strengthen preventive and explanatory work among the population to educate them about the importance of respecting healthcare workers and the consequences of violent attacks. The amendments aim to decisively suppress incidents of attacks on medics.
[1] Kazinform News Agency [2] The Astana Times [3] The Nur-Sultan Post [4] Tengrinews.kz
- The government, led by Health Minister Akmaral Alnazarova, has recognized the urgency of addressing medical-conditions such as attacks on doctors and nurses, following a series of brutal assaults on healthcare workers in cities like Karaganda and Kostanay.
- In response to these incidents, the government is not only proposing stricter penalties for such crimes under crime-and-justice categories, but also implementing health-and-wellness measures to bolster security in hospitals, with round-the-clock security posts, surveillance cameras, panic buttons, and increased security personnel.
- The proposed legislative amendments, aimed at enhancing protection for medical staff, will treat attacks on medics similarly to assaults on law enforcement officers, signifying the general-news significance of these crimes and potentially including lifelong compensation if medical staff lose the ability to work due to attacks.
