Аңдатпа
Access to medicines is a fundamental component of the full realization of the right to health. Equal access to medicines is a global priority. Alongside this, market access to innovative medicines is a crucial factor in improving the population's life expectancy and quality of life. The issue of improving the accessibility of medical services by ensuring equal access to quality healthcare is emphasized in the National Development Plan of the Republic of Kazakhstan until 2029. Market access to innovative technologies largely depends on citizens' willingness to adopt the technology. Therefore, patient participation in market access to medicines is crucial. Research Objective: To study the subjective opinion of the population on satisfaction with the outpatient medicine supply system, offering suggestions to improve its accessibility, effectiveness, and responsiveness to patient needs.Methods. A sociological study was conducted through a survey of the adult population using the Survey Monkey platform in an online format. The total number of respondents: adults - 1,730 people, including 710 men (41.05%) and 1,020 women (58.95%). Results. Almost 80% of respondents reported that medicines are always available in the pharmacy, but 18% noted that they are periodically absent, and 2.5% believe that free medicines are never available in pharmacies. 78% of the listed medicines that patients purchased independently are included in the List of free medicines. 23.41% of respondents took antibiotics without a doctor's prescription. 61.12% of respondents are not ready to pay the price difference between the original drug and the generic. The overall assessment of the free drug provision system in Kazakhstan is as follows: 35.47% of participants rated it as excellent, 47.58% as good, 9.14% as satisfactory, and 5.47% of respondents consider the work of the free drug provision system unsatisfactory. Conclusions. The survey results revealed problems in the provision of medicines guaranteed by the state. Overall, the free outpatient drug provision system in Kazakhstan is well-established, with patients receiving the necessary medicines on time for diseases managed at the outpatient level. However, there are problematic issues that require improvement in this area. Keywords: access to medicines, free drug provision, population satisfaction with drug provision.