About Us

The Kazakhstan Association of Family Physicians (KAFP) was founded in 1998, and registered with the Ministry of Justice on June 1, 1999. Since then, a total of 15 branches have been opened and registered throughout Kazakhstan. These branches are located in Aktobe, Almaty, Astana, Atyrau, Karaghanda, Kokshetau, Kostanay, Kyzylorda, Pavlodar, Semipalantinsk, Shymkent, Taldykorgan, Uralsk, Ust-Kamenogorsk, and Zhezkazgan.

KAFP currently has approximately 1,000 members. On April 12, 2003, KAFP was proud to be recognized by the members of the Universal Organization of Family Doctors, WONCA.

The basic purpose of KAFP is to assist in the formation and development of the Family Medicine, or General Practice, specialty, to improve public perception of the status and role of Family Doctors, and to strengthen family medicine within Kazakhstan. With the professional support of Doctors, our goal is to create a new system of instruction, leading to the professional certification of family doctors -- as members of KAFP.

KAFP is active in the following areas:

• assisting in the Continuing Education of Family Doctors and participating in the development of instruction programs;
• guaranteeing Family Doctors adequate information about advanced technologies in regional diagnostics, treatment, and the preventive maintenance of diseases, the control of Family Medicine by dispensaries, and the promotion of Evidence-Based Medicine;
• publication of problems that arise within the field of Family Medicine;
• participation in the reformation of public health policies, in accordance with current legislation;
• representation of family doctors at different levels of state administration, interaction and collaboration with other non-governmental organizations, and the utilization of mass-communication for effective disbursement of regulations;
• the guarantee of protection for the professional, social, economic, scientific, and legal interests of family doctors;
• organizing, conducting, and participating in conferences, symposia, seminars, instruction and lectures in the field of Family Medicine, the creation of criteria for determining the professional fitness of Family Doctors and for measuring professional knowledge and habits;
• organizing within Kazakhstan new means of information exchange;
• collaboration with different international organizations;
• pursuit of material and technical assistance (in the form of grants, partnerships, and so forth) in support of the field of family medicine

In addition to the support and education efforts, KAFP produces regular (between 3-4 annually) bulletins for their members. Each Bulletin provides information about the KAFP, it's achievements, branches, partners, events, problems, and separate members.