In pursuit of bonuses, doctors from two regions were caught using fake qualification certificates.

The first fact emerged when a medical professional came to apply for a job at one of the hospitals and presented a certificate that was not found in the database. This raised questions in the HR department, and just six days later, the woman provided another certificate that was in the system. Upon learning this, specialists from the pharmaceutical control department initiated an investigation. They uncovered 39 such fake certificates.

“It turned out that this person had not appeared at the National Examination Center, had not undergone either identification or skills assessment. We started an investigation. The analysis covered the fourth quarter of 2024 and January 2025. This is not just a fabricated document that was accepted. It involves changes in the database during the e-licensing application by entering different identifiers into the system, which indicated that the assessment stage had been passed. At the same time, there was a transfer of usernames and passwords for accessing their account. Because the applications were submitted by them, but by other individuals. What motivated them? In some cases, there was fear of passing the assessment, in others, a lack of time, convenience, or unfamiliarity with computers,” said Olga Smirnova, head of the medical and pharmaceutical control department of the Karaganda region.

All 39 medical professionals were summoned to the department. They admitted that they had purchased these certificates for 200,000 to 300,000 tenge. Among the medical staff were seven doctors, while the rest were mid-level medical personnel working in multidisciplinary hospitals, clinics, schools, and even a medical-social institution. Most of them were older women. Two doctors were from the Ulytau region. They have all been held administratively liable under Article 432, part one, for providing knowingly false information when applying for a state service — obtaining a permit for medical activities. Each must pay a fine of about 40,000 tenge. Their certificates have been revoked.

“We informed the leaders of the organizations where these specialists work. If they do not have a valid e-license, they will be suspended from work. If they do have a valid document, they can continue working. They have the right to achieve a level of qualification, but only by passing all the necessary stages under the law. Considering the explanations of the medical workers, fraud by certain individuals cannot be ruled out. We will be forwarding the materials to the police department and the anti-corruption service,” added Olga Smirnova.

The regional health department declined to comment on the situation.

However, some doctors somewhat justify their colleagues. According to pediatric neurologist and public figure from Almaty, Kairgali Koneev, medical professionals often use the services of "helpers."

“Doctors themselves are very superficial about these so-called specialist certificates and reluctantly go through this procedure. If there is any opportunity to pay someone and forget about it, doctors readily take advantage of this service. There are many kinds of 'helpers' involved in this area. The doctor does not need to go anywhere or submit anything; the 'helpers' will do everything for you, and consequently, you won’t have to worry about anything. But sometimes it happens that the doctors themselves, by using such criminal services, become victims of various fraudsters. But this does not mean that the doctor is of low qualification or anything else. This doesn't say anything at all. Even people with 30 years of experience resort to this. It’s a common phenomenon in the medical community.”

Certificates of qualification level replaced categories last August by order of the Ministry of Health. Those whose categories have expired must pass testing at the National Center, the second stage involves solving medical tasks and providing information about participation in seminars and conferences, writing scientific articles, etc. Medical professionals generally do not want or cannot engage in all this due to a lack of time.

Additionally, doctors must complete continuing education courses every five years.

“This is education. Many doctors, without even taking the basic necessary continuing education courses, can obtain fake certificates. This already affects the quality of medical services,” says Kairgali Koneev.

Karaganda endocrinologist, therapist, Doctor of Medical Sciences, and Professor Vilen Molotov-Luchansky agrees:

“The situation is indeed regrettable. However, certificates for continuing education indicate that a person has achieved some new level of qualification. This reflects on their salary. This is quite important for medical professionals. If a person has a certificate of belonging to the medical pool, to medical specialists, that is the most essential document. As for the level of qualification, it concerns more the HR department. To obtain the appropriate level of qualification, many stages must be passed. First of all, this involves the engagement of the team, the HR department; the chief physician or director of the medical organization must sign the report for this doctor or nurse for them to proceed to the next stage of confirming their qualification level. Furthermore, they must pass an exam. Therefore, without the director's signature, this certificate cannot be obtained. Even if such continuing education certificates are somehow obtained through IT technologies, they do not affect the operations of the medical organization and, especially, that of the specialist.”

However, the identified falsifications undermine the already low rating of Kazakhstani medicine, experts agree.