Emergency Vehicles Intensify Efforts in Handling Stroke and Heart Attack Cases

Emergency Vehicles Intensify Efforts in Handling Stroke and Heart Attack Cases

In Kazakhstan, the emergency medical service (EMS) has made significant strides in improving emergency health care, particularly in the area of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular disease and stroke. These conditions are among the leading urgent medical conditions in the country.

Key improvements include the expansion of specialized emergency cardiac and stroke care. Between 2017 and 2024, the number of catheterization laboratories offering emergency heart procedures increased from 31 to 49, and 83 stroke emergency centers operate nationwide. This expansion has significantly reduced mortality and disability from stroke and cardiac emergencies, which are among the most common critical reasons for contact in the EMS.

Kazakhstan has also advanced in complex cardiac surgeries, including heart and lung transplants, with over 600 ventricular assist devices implanted and the 100th heart transplant performed in 2025. This reflects improved capabilities in emergency and specialized interventions contributing to higher survival rates for severe cardiac cases.

The country has implemented around 50% of WHO-recommended policies targeting NCDs, supported by nationwide screening programs, prevention campaigns, and investment in emergency infrastructure. This has improved the overall emergency care framework.

Although specific response time statistics and EMS call reasons are not detailed in the provided sources, the focus on cardiovascular and stroke emergencies indicates these are the critical areas driving EMS demand. The nationwide stroke and cardiac centers imply an emphasis on rapid emergency response and care for these conditions, aiming to reduce treatment delays and improve outcomes.

Special attention is given to road accident calls, with an average response time of 8 minutes for over 20,000 such calls. The average response time for emergency (1st category) calls is 8.8 minutes, while less urgent calls receive a response between 12 to 26 minutes, meeting the established standards.

The emergency service fleet consists of 2,469 vehicles, with 882 teams stationed at polyclinics for calls of 3-4 urgency category. In the first half of 2025, 84 new vehicles were received in the regions, including through PPP and leasing.

The most common reasons for contacting the emergency services in Kazakhstan are respiratory system diseases, cardiovascular and neurological diseases, injuries and poisonings, and infectious and obstetric conditions. The staffing level of the emergency service is 86.5%, and the proportion of doctors within the emergency service staff has increased to 77.4%.

The successful resuscitation rate reached 60.1%, with the Abai region leading at 90%. Notably, 98% of stroke patients in cities were taken to specialized centers within the first 40 minutes.

In conclusion, Kazakhstan's emergency medical service improvements have centred on enhancing infrastructure and specialized emergency care for cardiovascular and stroke emergencies, increasing screening and early detection efforts, and implementing WHO-recommended policies. These measures have led to better treatment success and reduced premature mortality from critical non-communicable diseases. Detailed EMS response time data and the most common contact reasons remain unspecified in the available reports.

1. The expansion of specialized emergency cardiac and stroke care, shown by the increase in catheterization laboratories offering emergency heart procedures and stroke emergency centers across Kazakhstan, has significantly improved health-and-wellness outcomes for individuals with cardiovascular-health issues, particularly reducing mortality and disability from these critical medical conditions.
2. The implementation of around 50% of WHO-recommended policies targeting non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Kazakhstan, coupled with nationwide screening programs and prevention campaigns, has contributed to better science-based understanding and early detection of medical conditions such as cardiovascular diseases and stroke, ultimately contributing to improved health outcomes.

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