To mark the digitalisation of renal care in the country, the Vice-Minister of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Mr. Vyacheslav Dudnik, the Ambassador of Sweden in Kazakhstan, Ms. Ewa Polano, and Diaverum’s CEO, Dimitris Moulavasilis, held an Official Inauguration Ceremony on 10 May 2023 where it all started – Diaverum’s Astana Clinic, the first digital dialysis clinic in Kazakhstan and Central Asia.
Since 2015, when the company entered the country, Diaverum has invested over 20m EUR in its Kazakh operations’ physical infrastructure and local talent development, embarking on an ambitious journey to connect all of its 53 clinics in the country to Diaverum’s digital platform and full suite of proprietary applications, including:
- CONNECT, the automated data collection solution,
- theCARE platform, its renal information management system,
- the Treatment Guidance System (TGS)
- the Pharma Guidance System (PGS)
- The CARE Patient App
- the Digital Clinical Performance Measurement (CPM) system
- the virtual educational platform, ACADEMY
In this process, the Astana Clinic led the way, becoming the first dialysis clinic in the country to fully enjoy Diaverum’s digital capabilities and in turn deliver personalised, standardised, efficient and high-quality renal care to CKD patients, representing a step-change for dialysis treatment in Kazakhstan and the region as a whole. Located in a modern, well-appointed building of more than 1,200m2, it has 18 dialysis stations and 22 staff that care for up to 18 patients in one shift.
Dimitris Moulavasilis, Diaverum CEO, said: “At Diaverum, we are very proud of our Kazakh operations and our collaboration with the Republic of Kazakhstan. We entered Kazakhstan in 2015 with the vision to serve our Kazakh patients and the country's healthcare system; we were delighted to find people with competence, passion and inspiration, values and a vision that align with ours. I’m sincerely impressed by the government's commitment to digitalising healthcare services, improving access to care and elevating care standards and proud of our organisation’s contribution to making this a reality for chronic kidney patients in the country.”
The Kazakh government’s long-term healthcare strategy focuses on collaborating with industry innovators, like Diaverum, to promote and accelerate the digitalisation of the national healthcare system. This includes a specific focus on chronic kidney disease, which is becoming an increasingly prevalent health issue in the country. In partnership with the Kazakhstan Minister of Health (MoH), all Diaverum clinics in the country today have its digital infrastructure connected to the public e-health system, allowing for a quick and seamless integration between the company and MoH operations.
In a speech addressing Diaverum’s executives, Kazakh government officials and over 40 participants, the Vice-Minister of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Mr. Vyacheslav Dudnik, said: “2 million people suffer from kidney disease in Kazakhstan, representing 10% of the total Kazak population. There are about 8,000 patients with CKD, of which 2,800 patients, representing 30%, are getting treatment across 53 Diaverum clinics in 16 regions”.
Ms. Polano, the Ambassador of Sweden in Kazakhstan, rounded off the comments in her speech, concluding: “The opening of the digital clinic is a result of the excellent work and cooperation between Kazakhstan and Sweden in the healthcare sector during the course of the last year. I am proud to say that Diaverum is both a high-profile foreign investor and the largest private provider of dialysis treatments in Kazakhstan, treating 30% of all patients in the country.”
This official inauguration ceremony is the latest in a series of significant landmarks for the Kazakh team, who were accredited with the highest rating of ‘Excellent’ by the Accreditation Centre for Quality in Healthcare (Public Association of Surveyors and Consultants in the field of Healthcare Accreditation) in June last year.
Diaverum Kazakhstan commenced operations in January 2015. As of May 2023, it treats more than 2,800 patients in 53 clinics across 16 regions, with more than 1,000 trained local professional staff providing life-enhancing renal care to their patients. It accounts for the provision of 30% of private dialysis treatment across the country, making it the largest provider in the region and one with the greatest potential to shape renal care in the country in years to come.