The Process of Telemedicine Implementation in the Context of the Digitalization Process in Kazakhstan

Abstract

The purpose of this work is to study the process of telemedicine implementation in the context of digitalization of Kazakhstan to identify problems. Development of recommendations for solving these problems, both in the public and in the private sectors of medical services. The scientific significance of the work lies in the contribution of new knowledge on the issue of telemedicine in the example of Kazakhstan, since this issue has been underxplored. The results of this study can be used to further develop the digitalization process of healthcare in the Republic of Kazakhstan. A qualitative method is used, a semi-structured interview with experts in the field of telemedicine implementation was conducted. Atlas.ti software is used for data processing. As a result of the analysis of the interviews, the limitations and problems of the implementation of telemedicine in the country were identified, such as high costs for the provision of IT services and the quality of the Internet, as well as the government’s weak interest in cooperation with the private sector. However, despite these obstacles, the private sector is interested in implementing telemedicine. Analysis of world official data showed that the telemedicine market is growing rapidly, and there is a demand for consultations using telemedicine in the Kazakhstani market. Therefore, there is a need to develop this direction. Recommendations were offered to solve the problems of telemedicine implementation in Kazakhstan. Eliminating the identified problems can accelerate the process of healthcare digitalization, which is a contribution to the development of this area.