The Kazakhstan International Healthcare Exhibition, KIHE, is Central Asia’s longest-running medical forum, gathering clinicians, hospital directors, pharmacy chains, distributors, and digital-health start-ups every May in Almaty. Organised by Iteca, the 2024 edition will run from 15 to 17 May at the Atakent Exhibition Centre, combining a full-scale in-person expo with an on-line broadcast for delegates unable to travel. More than 400 companies from 30 countries will occupy eight thematic pavilions: medical equipment and imaging, laboratory and pathology, pharmaceuticals and ingredients, ophthalmology, dental technology, rehabilitation and disability aids, hospital infrastructure, and health-tech. National pavilions from Germany, South Korea, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Poland and Belarus will showcase turnkey hospital projects, AI-based imaging software, robotic surgery systems, portable dialysis units and cold-chain logistics solutions. Over 9,000 trade visitors are expected to attend, including procurement teams from the Ministry of Health, the Samruk-Kazyna fund and private clinic networks that control over 70 % of Kazakhstan’s medical purchasing budget.

The scientific programme, accredited by the National Centre for Postgraduate Education, features 40 CME sessions. Highlights include a plenary on the national e-health roadmap, a master-class on endoscopic sub-mucosal dissection led by Japanese surgeons, and a WHO session on antimicrobial stewardship in Central Asia. Keynote speakers confirmed are Dr. Yerlan Kuanyshev, Vice-Minister of Health, Professor Talant Sooronbaev, chief cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr. Assel Duisenova, chair of the Senate social committee, and Dr. Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe. Parallel forums cover pharmacy law, medical tourism, and the import-substitution potential of local device manufacturing. A start-up pitch zone will award grants for tele-ICU and mobile diagnostic projects, while a student hackathon will focus on AI triage algorithms. Delegates can book B-to-B meetings through the AI-powered matchmaking platform, schedule factory tours to the Almaty medical cluster, and observe live demonstrations of 3-D printed prosthetics. Entrance to the exhibition is free after on-line registration; the conference package costs 35 000 KZT and includes simultaneous translation, lunch and an electronic certificate of continuing medical education.