Voting is currently underway for the best socially significant project within Social Impact Award Kazakhstan 2026. Several initiatives in the health sector have reached the finals. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.

Social Impact Award Kazakhstan is a social project competition supported by Nazarbayev University. Its participants develop solutions to social problems in various fields. Winners will receive funding and support from major stakeholders.

You can learn more about the projects and vote for your favorite on the competition website. Voting is open until September 17 inclusive.

BananaPatch — an inexpensive bleeding control remedy

BananaPatch is an unusual and inexpensive solution from schoolchildren in Almaty. The developers want to make the remedy accessible primarily to people who live in remote areas and do not have access to medical care.

"We took it on because the real ones cost 38 thousand per package and they simply are not available in district hospitals. Ours could save millions of lives, as it is several times cheaper," the authors write on social media.

According to the authors, the cost of one portion of the powder may be about 10 tenge, and it can stop bleeding within a few minutes.

EndoSim — an endoscopy training simulator

Zhasmina and Karina, students at NIS in Turkestan, have created a simulator to teach medical students endoscopy skills. They note that due to a shortage of affordable simulators, many future doctors first work with an endoscope on a live patient.

"We conducted research and found that specialized simulators are available in Astana and Almaty. But what about other cities? The cost of such a simulator can reach 54 million tenge, and this is one of the main reasons for its inaccessibility," the girls share on Threads.

The developers are creating a simulator with sensors and a feedback system that will allow skills to be practiced before working with patients. The cost of EndoSim should be about five times lower than that of foreign analogues.

ADxAI — early detection of Alzheimer's disease

The developers of ADxAI propose using retinal images for early detection of signs of Alzheimer's disease.

The platform uses AI to analyze retinal changes that may be associated with neurodegeneration. The technology should detect signs of the disease before pronounced symptoms appear.

InLab — a digital assistant

The InLab digital assistant helps a patient figure out which specialist to consult and what examinations may be needed.

The user describes their symptoms, after which the AI matches them against more than 1,100 clinical protocols of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The service suggests which tests to take and which doctor to consult. After receiving test results, the system helps interpret them and forms a further action plan.

The authors of the project position it as a way to help patients navigate the medical system without a lengthy search for information and self-treatment.

You can try the service via the link. The first three attempts are free.

Last year's winners

Last year, in the "Medicine" nomination, the project supporting children and adults with type 1 diabetes, "Leto tvoyego probuzhdeniya" ("The Summer of Your Awakening"), won. Second place went to "Detskiy palliativ Karaganda" ("Children's Palliative Care Karaganda"), dedicated to the development of pediatric palliative care. Third place went to Donormyn — a digital platform for promoting voluntary donation.

Earlier, Kursiv wrote about a new useful phyto-drink made from honey and ginger produced by Kazakh scientists.

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