[Unlocking Golden Opportunities in the Central Asian Healthcare Market] How is the Kazakhstan International Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Exhibition (KIHE) becoming an accelerator for Chinese companies’ overseas expansion?

Kazakhstan, as the economic leader of Central Asia, serves as the starting point for China’s international cooperation along the overland Silk Road. The country enjoys a stable political environment and maintains long-standing, deep‑rooted friendly relations with China. As China’s Belt and Road Initiative continues to be implemented in depth, Kazakhstan’s role in the internationalization of China’s healthcare sector has grown increasingly prominent, making it an indispensable key market for Chinese companies seeking to expand into overseas markets.

Kazakhstan has long maintained a highly centralized healthcare system dominated by state ownership, characterized by relatively low service standards but broad coverage that achieves universal access. The system emphasizes a state‑run, free‑of‑charge medical regime, ensuring that all citizens can receive basic healthcare services. Given that the government directly holds approximately 80% of the equity in healthcare companies, it plays a pivotal role in regulating and guiding the healthcare market, with public health services typically delivered in an orderly manner under the strict oversight of national and municipal authorities. At the same time, the government actively seeks partnerships with private healthcare providers, promoting the diversification of healthcare services through joint ventures and other collaborative arrangements. In recent years, the government has further intensified its efforts to reform and develop public health, implementing a series of policies and measures aimed at fostering the growth of the pharmaceutical sector through preferential policies, thereby further standardizing and boosting the prosperity of the domestic pharmaceutical industry.

Kazakhstan’s medical‑device market is valued at approximately USD 1.3 billion; however, its domestic medical‑device manufacturing sector remains underdeveloped, with local producers unable to meet market demand and lacking the capacity to establish a self‑sufficient supply chain in the short term. As a result, more than 90 percent of the market’s medical devices are imported. In Kazakhstan, the public sector is the primary purchaser, accounting for roughly 85 percent of the market share, with most procurement conducted through government‑led tendering processes. Notably, over 37 percent of medical equipment in public hospitals is now outdated and urgently requires replacement. The government has recognized this issue and has begun developing plans to modernize its medical‑equipment inventory. For domestic medical device companies, this undoubtedly represents a valuable opportunity to enter the market and expand their market share in Kazakhstan.