International conference on strategic partnership, within Digital Health Astana

Within the framework of Digital Health Astana 2.0 forum on digitalization a Conference on strategic partnership in medical education was held in Nursultan. The event, the main organizer of which was the Ministry of health of the Republic of Kazakhstan, was attended by representatives of the academic and practical environment, non-governmental organizations and the international community. The format of the conference allowed to discuss the most topical issues of education of concern to the entire medical community of the country.

The main agenda was to discuss the results of the first stage of the strategic partnership between six medical universities of Kazakhstan and six leading foreign universities: Kazakh national medical University (KazNMU) and Lithuanian University of health Sciences, Astana medical University (MUA) and Vilnius University, Karaganda medical University and Swedish Lund University, Semey medical University and Turkish University Baskent University, West Kazakhstan medical University (WKSMU) named after Marat Ospanov and Polish University of medical Sciences Poznan University, school of medicine Nazarbayev University and school of medicine, as well as the medical center of the University of Pittsburgh. Cooperation has been implemented in Kazakhstan since 2016 within the framework Of the project "Social health insurance" and the Bologna Declaration.

The head of the Ministry of health urged politicians, heads of interested structures to support joint projects in the field of medical education, among which there are already successful experiences of cooperation. 

Strategic partnership and transfer of international experience imply not only the improvement of the educational process under European standards, but also the transition to the Trinity of education, practice and science. For example, a laboratory of molecular biology and morphology was established on the basis Of the M. Ospanov ZKSMU by analogy with the laboratory of the Polish University of medical Sciences Poznan. In the framework of the partnership Project, the Semey medical University prepares brand new specialists-emergency medicine doctor, doctor of emergency room, doctor of air ambulance. And also created the Association of emergency physicians and paramedics on the recommendations of the Turkish University Baskent. Research centers have been established in the University of Nazarbayev, where new methods of innovative treatment and diagnosis of diseases are developed together with Strat partners.

The goal set by the Ministry for universities and the state as a whole – the training of specialists of high level of competence in sufficient quantity for the system, can be achieved in the near future in close cooperation with partners. Moreover, strategic cooperation should become a trigger for the entry of domestic medical educational organizations into the top-leading universities of the world and allow to achieve recognition of Kazakh specialists in the international professional community. Medical universities of Kazakhstan will become centers of competence in their areas for educational organizations of the CIS countries.

During the Conference, the participants identified development prospects for Kazakhstan's universities, taking into account their strengths and opportunities, and outlined plans for further strategic partnership. The second stage of cooperation will be aimed not only at the modernization of the educational process at the University and increasing the capacity of specialists, but also to assist in the management of both the educational organization and the capacity of University clinics.

The exhibition of innovative developments in the field of health care, including in the field of medical education, became a logical continuation and addition of the Conference. Universities of Kazakhstan and foreign strategic partners presented their IT developments and innovative products to the medical community.