Comprehensive study of medical support of convicts in penitentiary institutions Republic of Kazakhstan

Abstract

The article presents the results of a comprehensive study of medical care for convicts in penitentiary institutions of the Republic of Kazakhstan, implemented in 2021 with the support of the Representative Office of Penal Reform International (International Prison Reform) in Central Asia with the support of the United Nations Development Program in the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan. A significant part of the convicts belong to socially vulnerable groups of the population, and also suffer from various socially significant diseases.

The purpose of the study was a general analysis of the state of the medical care system in the penitentiary system of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The comprehensive study included a survey of convicts on the objects of the penitentiary system of the Republic of Kazakh-stan, an expert survey of representatives of the Criminal justice system, independent experts: representa-tives of public administration bodies, lawyers, representatives of NGOs, ombudsmen.

The results of a comprehensive study have shown that the institutions of the penitentiary system, funded by the Ministry of Health, are able to make a great contribution to the control of chronic and other characteristic diseases of convicts. The practical significance of the research results in the devel-opment of a set of proposals for improving and optimizing the medical care of convicts, as well as the application of an integrated approach to the consideration of the «latent» sphere for society.

Key words: convict, penal enforcement system, penitentiary institutions of the Republic of Kazakh-stan, sanitary and hygienic living conditions, chronic diseases.