The Ministry of Health of Kazakhstan has created a special group that will register citizens’ complaints about depressive states caused by reduced daylight hours. This was announced at a briefing by the head of the department, Akmaral Alnazarova.
“Following the decision to transfer time, the Ministry of Health created a monitoring group on the basis of the National Center for Public Health, which monitors public health indicators and requests for medical care. At the moment no positive or negative dynamics are observed. At the same time, we are preparing a long-term scientific monitoring project over the next three years. Then we will be able to provide scientifically sound information. There were no other complaints from the population. That is, to speak reasonably, we need to record a certain increase or increase in requests. This is not the case today.” – said Alnazarova.
According to her, she herself does not suffer from depression and does not complain about her health.
On the night of February 29 to March 1, 2024, Kazakhstan switched to a single time zone, which, according to many citizens of the republic, affected their well-being. The government began to receive complaints. Mainly from the residents of the eastern part of the republic (nothing has changed in the western part), where, closer to winter, people began to wake up in broad daylight, and darkness began to fall an hour and a half after lunch. . As a result, people often become depressed.
A citizen petition for the abolition of the time change has obtained the necessary 50,000 signatures. However, the Kazakh authorities refused to approve it, citing a lack of data on the negative impact on citizens’ health.
Meanwhile, the complaints kept coming. Authorities responded by creating a monitoring group within the Ministry of Health that will study the issue for three years.
