The names, ages, phone numbers, tax codes, and virginity status of women studying at Al-Farabi Kazakhstan National University in the capital, Almaty, were somehow released and quickly disseminated by other students via social media chat groups.
According to AKIpress, a nurse at the institution's medical center sent a list of female students who had not undergone fluorography via WhatsApp to the dean of the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics. The data somehow also ended up on other WhatsApp groups on campus.
"A nurse from Smart Health University City LLP, which provides medical services to the university, sent documents with a list of third- and fourth-year students to the specialist of the dean's office on February 6 to ensure that they undergo a fluorography," the university wrote in a statement, "however, in addition to the names of the students, the documents also contained personal medical information."
The university added that "an appeal was sent to the Almaty city prosecutor's office with a request to take action on this fact on February 14," and that it is "considering terminating the contract with Smart Health University City LLP."
Before long, Kazakhstan's minister of science and higher education, Sayasat Nurbek, stepped in and said he had "taken control of the issue," adding, "those responsible will face punishment under our current legislation."
"The transfer of personal data, especially of a medical nature, is a violation," he noted.
The university's vice rector for science and innovation, Zhamilya Aitzhanova, echoed the minister's sentiments, saying, "There will definitely be an administrative penalty against the specialist of the dean's office of the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics S.Zh. ... Measures will be taken."
