The experts started to work on e-Health development issues as part of the implementation of the Compulsory Social Health Insurance system on the Atameken platform.

During the meeting, the experts raised the issues of minimum requirements for medical information systems and the connection of private pharmacies to e-Health. Previously, there were 16 modules with requirements for medical systems in Kazakhstan. Today, the Ministry of Health proposed to simplify the requirements and break them down into profiles.

"We decided to radically revise the approach and do not focus on the modules and their functionality. The focus has shifted to national profiles," Zhaniya Nurgalieva, a specialist of the Department of eHealth development of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan, said.

The Ministry proposes to create 7 profiles, including mandatory and desirable requirements, such as the general requirements, polyclinic and hospital, pharmacy and laboratory profiles.

 In turn, Advisor to the Chairman of the Presidium of the Atameken NCE RK Yulia Yakupbayeva emphasized that the business community is concerned about the system of control by profile.

"Requirements for profiles are divided into mandatory and desirable ones. But we know that, as a rule, all the desirable things become mandatory during the inspection by the authorized body. Also, business is concerned about the process of control over the new requirements for medical infusion systems and how expensive it is for business," - said Yuliya Yakupbayeva.

Director of the Department of Digitalization of Healthcare of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan Beybut Yesenbayev explained that the issue of evaluation has not been developed yet. However, the draft new code provides for a norm of certification of information systems.

"We are ready to discuss this issue. We have several options for certification: carry out certification on the developed concept or give the process to the market where the self-regulating organization will check, and give out conclusions," Beybut Yesenbaev said.

The participants discussed in detail the introduction of commercial pharmacies in the e-Health system.

"To date, the system is connected to the pharmacies of medical institutions that provide services within the framework of the Statutory free medical assistance. At the same time, the connection of commercial pharmacies to electronic prescriptions will increase the availability of medicines to the population, simplify the work of medical personnel in medical institutions, pharmacists, as well as solve the issue of mandatory storage of prescriptions," the Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Atameken NCE RK Alyona Romanova said.

"The commercial pharmacies were left outside. Therefore, the private pharmacies have a question when they will be able to connect to the system, what is necessary and how to accelerate this process," the President of the Association of Support and Development of Pharmaceutical Activities of the Republic of Kazakhstan Marina Durmanova said.

According to Beibut Yesenbayev, it's impossible to introduce prescriptions for paid medicines into the existing system yet.

"We have been testing, and the program has shown that if we start taking into account paid prescriptions in the Medicine Provision Information System, the system will not survive. Therefore, we are studying several solutions that will allow us to keep track of paid prescriptions. We have several options. The first is to create a single system where both paid and free prescriptions are collected. Some providers offer solutions that take into account only paid prescriptions. There were also options for fixing the supply of medicines, where you can consider the price caps and much more. However, we clearly say that pharmacies will determine which system to use by themselves," Beibut Yesenbayev said.

If the pharmacy has its information system, it will be integrated with the system of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan to see the prescription issued. This will allow the pharmacist to see the prescription of the buyer when presenting an identity document. The pharmacy makes a note in the system that these drugs have been issued.

Marina Durmanova noted that the system should take into account a partial prescription leave. The participants also noted that the doctor needs information about the availability of drugs in pharmacies.

"The issues are important, so we will look separately at the issues of electronic health passport, medical information systems, polyclinic and amendments to the new Health Code. In addition, we need to understand how to prescribe the desired measures properly and we need to consider the simplifications for each profile in more detail," Yuliya Yakupbayeva said.

Remind that from January 1, 2020, a system of mandatory social health insurance will be introduced. An important tool for its launch is the information system, which should ensure the rapid exchange of information between the participants of the Compulsory Social Health Insurance system and systematic control over the rational use of financial resources of the Compulsory Social Health Insurance Foundation.