The publication “Accessibility of healthcare services for rural women in Kyzylorda oblast” was prepared with the support of the IWPR Representative Office in Central Asia and the regional analytical platform CABAR.asia.
For citation and references to the material, please indicate: Accessibility of healthcare services for rural women in Kyzylorda oblast, 2025, CABAR.asia.
This publication is based on a study conducted among rural women in the Kyzylorda region. In this region, life expectancy at birth (LEB) is 74.58 years (10th among regions of the Republic of Kazakhstan), which is below the national average. Furthermore, the LEB among women in the region is 78.1 years, ranking 16th in the country (among the worst regions). Rural women in the region live, on average, less than urban women, at 77.87 years (0.6 years less than the urban average of 78.47 years).
Therefore, there are currently a number of problems related to access to free medications and medical services for the rural population. Furthermore, the study suggests that rural women are largely unaware of their rights and do not take advantage of opportunities to receive guaranteed medical services and medications. Existing problems in the healthcare sector demonstrate the need to improve the efficiency of public health services that meet the needs of rural women, which will lead to ensuring rural women’s access to health services under the State Fund for Free Medical Care and the Compulsory Health Insurance Fund and improving the quality of health services.
‘This publication was funded by the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of IWPR and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.