Health insurance: services available for COVID-19 patients

Social Health Insurance Fund allocated more than 31 billion tenge (over US$73 million) last year for the medical rehabilitation of Kazakh citizens who had recovered from various categories of diseases. Nearly 132 patients received rehabilitation treatment in hospitals after COVID-19. This was reported by Lyazzat Shomanova, director of the department for healthcare quality monitoring. The expert explained in details what services are available for Kazakh citizens within the Mandatory Social Health Insurance.

“All patients, who have recovered and who are still infected with COVID-19 or coronavirus infection can receive a list of services provided within the Mandatory Social Health Insurance. The services are provided for free, starting from taking PCR testing to the treatment in hospitals and further rehabilitation of patients who have recovered,” said Lyazzat Shomanova, Director of Healthcare Quality Monitoring Department, Social Health Insurance Fund.

Shomanova said that patients undergoing treatment for COVID-19 at home can also receive health insurance services. The main thing is that they must go to the clinic and get registered.

 “Even if the patients have been tested for the virus at home, they are fully eligible to seek the rehabilitation that I mentioned earlier, since coronavirus requires rehabilitation. Some patients, in addition to the somatic consequences of the disease, have shortness of breath, loss or restriction of certain abilities. There are also depression symptoms. Psychiatric help may be required. All this is prescribed by a doctor,” said Lyazzat Shomanova, Director of Healthcare Quality Monitoring Department, Social Health Insurance Fund.

There are 559 clinics in the list of medical institutions providing medical services for compulsory social health insurance, more than 200 of them are private.