Kazakhstan Moves to Toughen Penalties for Attacks on Medical Workers

Kazakhstan's government has drafted amendments aimed at strengthening legal protections for healthcare workers, Orda.kz reports.

Under the proposed changes to the Criminal Code, a new article will introduce stricter penalties for threats or violence against medical personnel — including both restrictions on liberty and prison terms.

Even a recorded threat of violence would carry up to two years of restricted freedom. If actual violence is committed against a doctor or medical worker, the punishment would range from two to seven years of imprisonment. In emergency situations, it could be up to ten years. If a group of medical workers is targeted by one or more assailants, the sentence could be as high as 15 years.said Health Minister Akmaral Alnazarova at a government press conference. 

Alnazarova described the measures as an adequate response to the growing number of attacks against Kazakhstan’s medical professionals. The amendments are expected to be submitted to parliament in September.

The issue has taken on urgency following several high-profile incidents. In the past month alone, a surgeon in Qostanay was assaulted by a patient and left unconscious for several days, while in Qaraganda, a nurse at a mammology center was attacked.

Calls to toughen penalties for violence against medical workers have been ongoing for years, but the government has only now moved forward.

President Qasym-Jomart Toqayev personally ordered the development of the new amendments.

Original Author: Zhadra Zhulmukhametova