Medical Tourism Association of the city

Medical Tourism Association of the city

The main goal of the Almaty Medical Tourism Association is to implement and develop medical tourism in the city of Almaty, to promote medical services, and to strengthen the image of healthcare in Kazakhstan at the international level.

To achieve these goals, the Association performs the following tasks:

• providing round-the-clock assistance and support to medical tourists in resolving organizational and medical issues;
• exchange of experience, conducting training sessions, and professional development courses for specialist physicians;
• organizing familiarization tours to clinics and healthcare organizations in the city of Almaty;
• training individuals involved in medical tourism on the specifics of this field;
• enhancing the qualifications of healthcare workers undergoing accreditation by JCI (Joint Commission International);
• increasing the number of international partnership agreements in the healthcare sector;
• establishing partnerships with international airlines to provide discounted airfares for medical tourists;
• increasing the number of qualified nursing and auxiliary medical staff;
• providing information support to association members;
• offering consultancy services, organizing congresses, conferences, seminars, and exhibitions;
• participating in the development of prospective and current healthcare development programs;
• participating in the certification of medical personnel for qualification categories related to working with foreign patients;
• contributing to the development of quality standards for healthcare, defining criteria for the preparation and professional development of medical personnel in accordance with global standards;
• developing specific proposals to improve the training system and practical activities of medical personnel at all levels;

raising public and competent authorities’ awareness of the activities of various organizations and individuals that may lead to harmful or dangerous consequences for people’s health, with the aim of stopping such actions;

• strengthening contacts between medical workers of healthcare organizations in the region;
• collaborating with international public organizations of medical professionals, foreign firms, associations, enterprises, foundations, etc., for business cooperation;
• analyzing global experience in the development of medical tourism;
• assessing the potential for developing medical tourism in the Republic of Kazakhstan;
• creating a unified database of medical institutions ready to provide medical services to foreign citizens;
• conducting a sociological study on the image of domestic medical institutions among the population of the Republic of Kazakhstan;
• comparative analysis of pricing policies for medical services in Kazakhstan and abroad;
• conducting marketing research among foreign citizens in order to find out the specific needs for medical services;
• promoting the database of Kazakhstani medical institutions by creating a website with information about the best medical institutions in the Republic of Kazakhstan ready to accept patients (in English and Russian);
• disseminating information about medical services in Kazakhstan at international congresses, symposiums, forums, conferences, specialized exhibitions;
• regularly marketing Kazakhstani medical services online through search engines, social networks, and other internet platforms;
• monitoring patient satisfaction with the provided medical services and forwarding information and recommendations to the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan;

Institute of Reproductive Medicine

The first IVF laboratory in Kazakhstan

Date of foundation: 1995

Location: Republic of Kazakhstan, Almaty

Institute of Reproductive Medicine — full cycle of services: IVF Center; Polyclinic Department; Department of Operative Gynecology and Urology; Andrology: Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory; Department of ART.

Achievements and innovations of the clinic

• 1995 Opening of the first IVF laboratory in Kazakhstan
• 1996 Birth of the first child in IVF program
• 1996 Joining the Russian Association of Reproductive Medicine
• 1997 International certification of specialists in Israel
• 1998 First pregnancy in the «Surrogacy» program
• 1998 Introduction of ICSI method
• 1999 First pregnancy in the «Oocyte donation» program
• 1999 Introduction of the TESA method
• 2000 Introduction of the blastocyst embryo cultivation method
• 2001 Birth of the first triplets after IVF
• 2001 Admission to the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE)
• 2002 Introduction of embryo cryopreservation
• 2003 First pregnancy after the transfer of cryo embryos
• 2003 Amendments made to the IVM (In Vitro Maturation) and blastocyst cryopreservation methods
• 2004 Enactment of the first law in Kazakhstan, «On Reproductive Rights of Citizens and Guarantees of their Implementation»
• 2005 Release of the first monograph «Infertility and Assisted Reproductive Technologies»
• 2007 Opening of the outpatient clinic and women’s consultation service
• 2008 Establishment of the Reproductive Medicine Association (KARM)
• 2008 Establishment of the ART (Assisted Reproductive Technology) Department
• 2008 First pregnancy after PGD (Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis)
• 2008 Amendments made to the PGD, FISH (Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization), oocyte vitrification, and blastocyst methods
• 2009 Implementation of IVF programs within the framework of State Guaranteed Medical Benefit (SGMBT)
• 2010 Opening of the Department of Operative Gynecology
• 2010 Free counseling for couples on infertility issues in various cities
• 2011 Admission to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM)
• 2011 Internal investigation of IMSI (Intracytoplasmic Morphologically Selected Sperm Injection)
• 2012 Introduction of new PGD (Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis) methods, including the examination of trophectoderm cells of embryos at 5-6 days and the use of photographs
• 2013 Establishment of a cryobank for donor oocytes
• 2013 Opening of the IVF School
• 2014 Inclusion of Micro TESE (Microdissection Testicular Sperm Extraction) and time-lapse imaging in the calendar
• 2015 Implementation of the method of cryopreservation of ovarian tissue
• 2016 External measurement of CGH (Comparative Genomic Hybridization)
• 2017 Opening of the new clinic «Branch No. 1»
• 2017 Launch of the Cryobank.kz portal — a bank of donors and surrogate mothers
• 2018 Obtaining a certificate of accreditation of the highest category in accordance with the healthcare standards of the Republic of Kazakhstan
• 2018 Introduction of psychological support before conducting IVF programs
• 2019 Launch of Group Training on Psychological Support, Art Therapy 2019 Foreign Patient Support Service