Avoidable Mortality in its Economic Impact in Almaty City, Kazakhstan

Abstract

Introduction: Studying performance indicators is necessary to understand priorities in the healthcare system and implement specific measures to improve health services. The purpose is to study the avoidable mortality in Almaty city (Kazakhstan) from 2014 to 2023 and its economic impact. Methods: To calculate avoidable mortality, we used the data taken from the Almaty city branch of the National Scientific Center for Health Development between 2014 and 2023. We separately analyzed avoidable deaths from noncommunicable diseases, injuries, and other groups of diseases in accordance with OECD/Eurostat lists of preventable and treatable causes of death. Mortality data were collected by nosology in accordance with the International Statistical Classification of Diseases-10 and the population aged 0–74 years’ data were classified by gender and in 5 years’ age categories. The age-standardized population death rates were taken from OECD 2015. Results: Avoidable mortality fluctuated, initially, it increased from 2014 to 2016 (265.18–331.13 per 100,000 population), after which a decrease was observed, while during COVID-19 it increased back (568.62 per 100,000 population), and by 2023, the curve showed decrease 210.69 per 100,000 population. The rate of avoidable mortality among the male population was higher compared to female. In male population through all the years studied, preventable mortality was higher compared with treatable mortality by contrast in female, where most of the years treatable, mortality was higher. The leading cause of avoidable mortality was noncommunicable diseases. Conclusion: Avoidable mortality in Almaty has declined during 2014–2023. The leading cause of avoidable mortality was noncommunicable disease as circulatory system, cancer, and the respiratory system. Strengthening public health interventions is the key to reduce avoidable mortality in Almaty city. The highest economic losses due to avoidable mortality were also in 2021.