Study Aims. Evaluate the quality and effectiveness of the medication-assisted therapy (MAT) pilot in Kazakhstan and review implementation context and related challenges. Methods. We performed a desk review of MAT policy and program documents and reviewed medical records at three MAT sites in Kazakhstan. MAT patients (n = 93) were interviewed to assess their perceptions of the program and its impact on their health, criminal, drug use, and HIV risk related behaviors as well as expenditures on nonprescribed psychoactive drugs. Persons injecting drugs who are not in treatment, MAT program staff, and other stakeholders were interviewed to obtain their perspectives on MAT. Results. Legislation supports introducing MAT as a standard of care for treatment of opioid dependence; however, its progress has been hampered by active opposition. Inadequate access and coverage, insufficient supply management, scarce infrastructure of narcological facilities, limited opportunities for staff development, and restrictive methadone dispensing policies compromise the quality of the intervention and limit its potential benefits. There were significant reductions in criminal, drug use, and HIV risk related behaviors in patients receiving MAT. Conclusions. The MAT pilot in Kazakhstan demonstrated its feasibility and effectiveness in the local context and is recommended for scaleup throughout the country.

This article is a brief overview of the literature on mental disorders among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. We studied the nature of the relationship of mental disorders with coronavirus infection, assessed the pandemic in terms of stressful events, and discussed the prevalence of stress disorders, symptoms of anxiety and depressive disorders among healthcare workers. Risk factors and protection factors for these mental disorders are also assessed.

This article is a brief overview of the issue of informatization of narcological practice in the Republic of Kazakhstan, in particular, the informatization of the procedure of medical examination for alcohol or drug intoxication. A brief description of the information system «Electronic Medical Examination System», as well as an analysis of the data collected during its application, is presented.