The Business Sweden Roundtable was held in Astana with the participation of Azhar Giniyat, Minister of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Ewa Polano, Ambassador of Sweden to Kazakhstan, representatives of business communities and major pharmaceutical manufacturers, as well as healthcare professionals. The event was dedicated to the experience exchange between the two countries in the field of health technology assessment and timely access to the new treatment methods.
This is the second meeting in the field of healthcare between Kazakhstan and Sweden, organized by the Swedish Trade and Invest Council Business Sweden and the Embassy of Sweden with the support of the international biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca. The parties plan to make such events reccuring.
The event was opened by Azhar Giniyat, Minister of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Ewa Polano, Ambassador of Sweden to Kazakhstan, and Dr. Skender Syla, Head of WHO Office in Kazakhstan. Björn Erikson, Director General of the Swedish Medical Products Agency, and Mattias Lindgren (Ph.D.) Regional Director for Eurasia at Business Sweden, also made opening speeches to the guests.
Azhar Giniyat, the Head of the Ministry of Healthcare of Kazakhstan: “Kazakhstan has a clear vision for the development of its healthcare system. The government seeks to provide universal access to quality medical care, develop preventive medicine, improve the quality of medical services and use technology to improve healthcare. With continued investment and support, Kazakhstan has every chance to fulfill its vision and become a leader in the development of healthcare in the region”.
During a welcome speech the Ambassador of Sweden to Kazakhstan, Ms. Ewa Polano, congratulated the Minister of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan Dr. Azhar Giniyat, hosting successful WHO PHC and EURO RC73, where Sweden and Kazakhstan continued to strengthen their bilateral partnerships. Madam Ambassador also noted invitation from the Swedish Minister of Health to Minister Giniyat to come to Sweden in mid-November and visit the WHO primary healthcare (PHC) demonstration platform (Storuman, Västerbotten, Sweden). The Minister of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan will meet in Stockholm with representatives from the Swedish Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, government agencies and industry experts including academia to exchange experiences on strengthening primary healthcare and the role of innovation and digital health.
The Ambassador of Sweden to Kazakhstan, Ms. Ewa Polano: "Healthcare remains one of the sectors identified by Kazakhstan as a priority for development. Sweden stands ready to continue its support through its expertise and technology transfer, as well as its value system related to social, economic, and environmental sustainability, in the spirit of innovation and the Swedish triple helix model – close cooperation between government/academia/private sector. Technology assessment is becoming an increasingly important tool for public health decision-making as health systems around the world are faced with balancing unmet patient needs, public budget capacity and the desire to provide the best available treatments. I’m therefore impressed that a great number of academia, administrators, economists in healthcare as well as practicing physicians were not indifferent and came together today for a Swedish-Kazakh workshop to discuss practical aspects of health technology assessment and ways of introducing new treatments in both countries. I believe that this workshop, which was the second healthcare event organised by the Swedish Trade and Invest Council "Business Sweden" in cooperation with the Embassy of Sweden in Astana this year, will be a springboard for many other roundtables and seminars supported by Swedish partners and aimed at meeting the development needs of Kazakhstan's healthcare system".
Mattias Lindgren (Ph.D.), Regional Director for Eurasia at Business Sweden: «We acknowledge that the integration of new medical technologies comes with associated costs, and often, budget constraints limit our ability to meet all the demands within the medical system. Therefore, it is essential to establish a framework for prioritization and evaluation to strike a balance between available resources and requirements. We are pleased to facilitate an exchange of experiences between Sweden and Kazakhstan on this crucial matter of enhancing access to innovative treatments. We eagerly anticipate more opportunities for collaboration in the vital field of healthcare. We are delighted to witness today's dialogue, which embraces the principles of the Triple Helix model. In this collaborative effort, government, academia, and industry are coming together to create synergies and facilitate the transformation of today's healthcare model into the healthcare of the future. AstraZeneca stands as a strong example of a committed partner to healthcare systems worldwide, and we take pride in our longstanding collaboration in the region over the years».
During the event, the participants emphasized the importance of broadening access to the innovative therapies and the medical technologies assessment within the state drug reimbursement system. Kazakhstan is already taking steps towards improving the availability of modern medicines for patients localizing the production of medicines through technology transfer. In October 2023, the Ministry of Healthcare of Kazakhstan and AstraZeneca signed a roadmap defining a set of organizational measures for localization.
Mariya Shipuleva, Country Director, AstraZeneca Kazakhstan: «AstraZeneca, as an international company with 15 years of local presence, considers it an important task to take steps in favor of strengthening the partnership between Kazakhstan and Sweden in the field of healthcare. In this regard, we are pleased to support the Business Sweden discussion platform as a model of proper and productive dialog between all industry participants. We believe that today’s roundtable can provide a qualitative shift in healthcare technology and drug supply. We hope that it will become an annual event».
At the end of this year, under the auspices of the World Health Organization and the Government of Sweden, a ministerial delegation from Kazakhstan and representatives of AstraZeneca, Kazakhstan, are scheduled to visit Sweden to participate in a week-long program on digital and rural healthcare. Kazakhstan will be one of the first countries invited by WHO to participate in the experience exchange program in the field of healthcare in Sweden.
About «AstraZeneca»
AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialisation of prescription medicines in Oncology, Rare Diseases, and BioPharmaceuticals, including Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism, and Respiratory & Immunology. Based in Cambridge, UK, AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide. Please visit astrazeneca.com
