Terminal Illness & End-of-Life Planning in Kazakhstan: 5-Step Official Checklist

1. 1

   Coordinate Palliative Care, Home Nursing, and GOBMP / OSMS Health Coverage

   • State-funded palliative care under GOBMP and OSMS: Under the Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan on People's Health and the Healthcare System (overseen by the Ministry of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan), palliative care and nursing care for incurable, oncological, and life-limiting conditions are included in the Guaranteed Volume of Free Medical Care (GOBMP) and the Compulsory Social Health Insurance (OSMS) system [2] [5].
   • Hospice referral, mobile brigades, and pain relief: Ask the treating specialist at the territorial polyclinic or regional oncology centre for a multidisciplinary clinical referral to an inpatient palliative care department, municipal hospice, or mobile home-based palliative nursing brigade (mobilnaya brigada palliativnoy pomoshchi) [2]. Under the clinical protocols of the Ministry of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan, patients registered with the territorial polyclinic receive free outpatient prescription analgesics (including controlled opioid pain relief) and home patronage visits by district physicians and nurses [2].
   • Electronic health passport and clinic attachment: Verify via the Electronic Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan (eGov.kz) or the eGov Mobile app that your family member's attachment to their local primary healthcare polyclinic is active so home visits and prescriptions are processed without interruption [1] [2].
2. 2

   Record Healthcare Preferences and Designate a Legal Medical Representative

   • Statutory right to informed consent and refusal of medical intervention: Under the Code on People's Health and the Healthcare System administered by the Ministry of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan, every capable patient has the right to give informed voluntary consent to, or formally refuse, specific medical interventions, as well as the right to specify who may receive confidential information about their diagnosis and prognosis [2].
   • Appointing a healthcare representative via Notarial Power of Attorney: Because Kazakhstan does not maintain a standalone registry for private living wills separate from clinical consent records, the most effective way for an ill person with full mental capacity to designate a medical spokesperson is to execute a Notarial Power of Attorney before a licensed Kazakh notary (registered in the Unified Notary Information System ENIS) explicitly authorising a trusted family member to access medical records (Damumed / electronic health passport), interact with the Ministry of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan facilities, and communicate treatment preferences if the patient becomes unable to speak [1] [2] [6].
   • Filing written preferences in the clinical chart: Have your family member sign a written statement of care and symptom-relief preferences and ask the attending physician at the polyclinic or hospital to attach it to the electronic medical record alongside a clinical note confirming the patient's full orientation and decision-making capacity [2].
3. 3

   Execute Notarial Powers of Attorney and Bank Mandates While Capacity Is Intact

   • Executing a Notarial Power of Attorney (Doverennost): Under the Civil Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Articles 167-171), a person with full legal capacity should execute a comprehensive notarial Power of Attorney before a licensed notary [1] [6]. If the ill person cannot travel to a notary office, a Kazakh notary can be called to the home or hospital ward to verify identity and lucid mental capacity in person and register the instrument in the Unified Notary Information System (ENIS) (normally valid for up to 3 years unless a shorter term is specified) [1] [6].
   • Scope of financial and administrative authority: Ensure the notarial Power of Attorney specifically enumerates authority to: (a) open, manage, and withdraw funds from Kazakh commercial bank accounts, (b) represent the grantor before the Electronic Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan (eGov.kz), Public Service Centers (TSON), tax offices, and the Unified Accumulative Pension Fund, and (c) manage or lease immovable property [1] [4].
   • Direct commercial bank registration and digital powers: Because commercial banks in Kazakhstan verify third-party powers of attorney against ENIS and internal compliance rules, we suggest registering the notarised Power of Attorney directly at a branch of each bank where your family member holds accounts while they are still able to confirm via SMS/biometrics [1].
4. 4

   Activate Disability Status (MSE), Social Allowances, and Caregiver Support

   • Medico-Social Expertise (MSE) disability certification: If the illness results in persistent functional impairment, the treating polyclinic under the Ministry of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan prepares Form 031/u and transmits an electronic referral to the territorial department of Medico-Social Expertise (MSE) under the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Kazakhstan to establish a formal disability group (Group I - severe disability requiring constant outside care, Group II, or Group III) [2] [3] [5]. For specified irreversible conditions, MSE assessments can be conducted in absentia (zaochno) or at the patient's home [3].
   • State disability benefits, GFSS payouts, and Caregiver Allowance: Once Group I, II, or III disability is certified, apply via the Electronic Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan (eGov.kz) or TSON to the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Kazakhstan for: (a) the monthly State Social Disability Allowance, (b) the social payment for loss of working capacity from the State Social Insurance Fund (GFSS) for employed contributors, and (c) if Group I disability is assigned, the monthly state allowance for a person caring for a Person with a Group I Disability, along with free hygiene supplies, wheelchair/prosthetic equipment via the Social Services Portal (aleumet.egov.kz), and a state-funded individual assistant [1] [3] [5].
   • Unified Accumulative Pension Fund (ENPF) disability payouts: If your family member is certified with Group I or Group II disability indefinitely (bessrochno), they become eligible to receive scheduled or lump-sum disability pension payments from their individual retirement account at the Unified Accumulative Pension Fund (ENPF) [4] [5].
5. 5

   Review the Will, Civil Status Records, and Property Registration

   • Executing a Notarial Will (Zaveshchanie): Under Section 6 of the Civil Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, a will must be executed in writing, signed personally by the testator (or by a formal signee rukoprikladchik in the presence of the notary and a witness if physical illness prevents signing), notarised by a licensed notary, and recorded in the Unified Notary Information System (ENIS) [1] [6]. A testator may also lodge a Secret Will (Sekretnoe zaveshchanie) in a sealed envelope with a notary in the presence of two witnesses [6].
   • Accounting for statutory forced-share (Obyazatelnaya dolya) rules: Under Article 1069 of the Civil Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the testator's minor or disabled children, as well as disabled spouse and parents, are entitled to a mandatory forced share equal to at least one-half of the share they would have inherited by law (intestate), regardless of the terms of the will [6].
   • Auditing civil status and property records on eGov.kz: Use the Electronic Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan (eGov.kz) to verify that all birth and marriage records in the Civil Registry (RAGS) information system and all real estate titles in the State Database 'Real Estate Register' contain no spelling discrepancies, and check beneficiary records with the Unified Accumulative Pension Fund [1] [4].
   • Cross-border powers of attorney and Hague Apostille: Kazakhstan is a party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention [6]. If a family representative or asset is located abroad, powers of attorney or civil status documents issued in Kazakhstan can receive an official Apostille through the Ministry of Justice via eGov.kz or TSON, and foreign powers of attorney must carry an Apostille (or be covered by the Minsk/Kishinev CIS legal assistance conventions) with a notarised Kazakh/Russian translation [1] [6].

   Step	Deadline	Authority
   1. Palliative care & GOBMP/OSMS attachment	Immediately upon clinical diagnosis	Ministry of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan
   2. Medical representative & treatment consent	While the patient retains full mental capacity	Ministry of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan & Territorial Notary
   3. Notarial Power of Attorney (ENIS) & bank mandates	Before any loss of legal decision-making capacity	Licensed Notary & Electronic Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan
   4. Medico-Social Expertise (MSE), caregiver & ENPF claims	Upon clinical referral Form 031/u	Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Kazakhstan & Unified Accumulative Pension Fund
   5. Notarial Will (Zaveshchanie) & property title check	While testamentary capacity is intact	Licensed Notary & Electronic Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Electronic Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan (eGov.kz) - Healthcare, Disability, and Notarial Services — Electronic Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan (eGov.kz)
2. [2]
   Ministry of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan - Palliative Care and GOBMP/OSMS Standards — Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan (gov.kz)
3. [3]
   Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Population - Medico-Social Expertise (MSE) and Disability Allowances — Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan (gov.kz)
4. [4]
   Unified Accumulative Pension Fund (ENPF) - Disability Pension Payouts and Account Management — JSC Unified Accumulative Pension Fund (ENPF)
5. [5]
   Social Security Programs Throughout the World: Asia and the Pacific - Kazakhstan (Disability and Sickness Benefits) — U.S. Social Security Administration / ISSA
6. [6]
   Kazakhstan - Competent Authorities under the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention (Ministry of Justice) — Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH)