Access and Reimbursement for Artificial Intelligence in Radiology: A Central Asian Perspective
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: may impose significant workforce requirements on the region's health systems.This article provides a status report and outlook on the future of radiological AI in Central Asia. CENTRAL ASIAN REGION-A BRIEF OVERVIEWCentral Asia comprises five countries that were once part of the Soviet Union and that still share many common practices.Except for in Tajikistan, the majority of the populations in Central Asian countries speak Turkic languages, and the region predominantly comprises Sunni Muslims.Socially, the region's countries have diverse economic situations, ranging from low-to high-middle income, based on the definitions of the World Bank (Table 1) [1-10].The regional health systems show variable patterns of financing, staffing, and equipment with respect to radiology (Table 2) [11][12][13][14].The relative and absolute healthcare spending in the region varies greatly, especially given the large variability in the sizes of the local economies. CURRENT AI ADOPTION STATUS KazakhstanKazakhstan has rapidly adopted AI in radiology and the broader healthcare sector, positioning itself as a regional innovation leader in digital health.As of the end of 2025, Kazakhstan has the most mature AI adoption status in Central Asia.It has a large number of AI programs with Medical Device Registration (MDR) certificates and is the only country in the region that has adopted reimbursement codes for AI services.Kazakhstan is executing a comprehensive national digital transformation plan scaling healthcare AI with the National
Source: Korean Journal of Radiology
Institution: Astana Medical University
Language: English
Subfield: Health Informatics
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7118380776