The national health care system of the Soviet Union was adequate to the needs of the people, while far
from the level enjoyed by those living in Western Europe and North America. However, after the fall of
the Soviet Union, the health system was decimated as skilled professionals left for other countries, lost
their jobs, grew older, and failed to be replaced by a failing educational system. The darkest hours were
in the mid-1990s, when a resurgence of common killers struck the former Soviet Union – diphtheria,
measles, cholera, heart disease, and cancer rates rose to epidemic levels across Russia and the Central
Asian former Soviet Republics.
The population of Kazakhstan is growing, but not universally, as the birth rate of Russian-speakers
(including Russified Kazakhs and other nationalities) continues to plummet.
Abortion remains the most popular form of contraception for those using contraception at all. In 1995, in
Russia, there were 225 abortions for every 100 live births, which was up from 1991‟s rate of 196
abortions per 100 live births. It was estimated at that time that 14% of women graduating from college
had more than eight abortions each. The rate is considerably lower among actively Muslim women, but
still common if the woman can attain the abortion without the knowledge of the husband and his family.
In Kazakhstan in the 1990s, only 1 child in 5 was born “perfectly healthy.” The reasons for this are
legion, including alcoholism, malnutrition, use of tobacco and other drugs, and lack of prenatal care.
Anemia is a serious concern for all women, and especially those expecting to give birth. One of the
primary reasons for gold teeth is that it is a cheap replacement for weak and broken teeth, and sometimes
for teeth that were dropped during pregnancy due to calcium deficiency.
Considering all of these facts, one obvious sign of pride among Kazakhstan‟s citizens is the level of
improvement they have witnessed from the 1990s. While Kazakhstan‟s hospitals remain below many
international standards, they are much improved over the early years of Independence. This is important
to keep in mind when discussing health care with host family and friends.
Area of concern:
HIV/AIDS: Reliable statistics are impossible to produce. HIV-positive status guarantees an individual
loss of their job, social status, expulsion from their residence, disavowal of their family, and a likely jail
sentence for “drug use” and/or “prostitution.” HIV testing, thusly, is rarely if ever voluntary. Actual
numbers do not exist, but international aid organizations assume statistics on par with the worst in Central
and Eastern Europe.
Alcoholism: “Regular drunkenness” affects between 25 and 60% of blue collar workers, and up to 20%
of white collar workers. In the 1990s, an average of 50,000 died each year in Russia from alcohol
poisoning, and while similar statistics for Kazakhstan do not exist, Kazakhstan remains one of the highest
consumers of alcohol in the world, especially considering its nominal Islamic culture.
Lack of Health Education: Up to 80% of people will seek medical treatment with non-medical
personnel before visiting a local clinic or hospital. During the Soviet Union, „traditional‟ health
practitioners, faith healers, and other non-medical care givers were punished with strict fines and jail time,
but this practice ended with the fall of the USSR. Today, lack of health education, sex education, and
high quality local health care have opened the doors to folk remedies as varied as topical application of
vodka to wrapping vinegar soaked blankets around the affected areas of the body.