The department has been organized on February 1, 1935 (the order on the Kazakh medical institute No. 8 § 9 of January 19, 1935) and in the first years of establishment carried the name of department of social hygiene. In the 40-50th years was called as department of the organization of health care and history of medicine. In 1966 it is renamed into department of social hygiene and the organization of health care with a medicine history course. In 1993-1998 was called department of social medicine and management of health care with a medicine history course. Since 1999 till present carries the name of department of public health care. In 1999-2003 the course of medical informatics has been attached to department. Change of the name of department and its reorganization answered tasks which were set for it during certain historical periods of development of the country.

In 1959 the department was headed by Samarin R. I., the graduate of the Kazakh medical institute, in 1960-1963 – the rector of the Almaty state medical institute. Under the leadership of the doctor of medical sciences, professor Samarin R. I. it was protected 3 doctor’s (Chernobrov P. N., Gonopolsky M. H., Chokin A. R.) and 28 master’s theses. These years completed full-time postgraduate study in case of department and Ismailov Sh. M., Slazhneva T. I. defended master’s theses., Makatova V. A., Sayatova A. S., after the correspondence postgraduate study there were candidates of medical sciences Petrov P. P., Kostenko G. R., job seekers: assistant Ilyin I. V., employees of the Ministry of Health of KAZSSR Ivanova N. I., Kozyreva R. V., workers of practical health care Inderbiyev M. G., S. H. Mujaheddins, Nevel N. N., etc.

In 1969 from structure of department the independent department of history of medicine which was headed by Chokin A. R. was allocated., doctor of medical sciences (1967), professor (1968). Under the leadership of professor Chokin A. R. were protected 2 doctor’s (Dushmanov S. H., Sviridova L. E.) and 9 candidate (Shabdarbayeva M. S., Efremov L. S., Zhakupov M. A., Abylkasymov E. A., Anambayev I. A., etc.) theses. In 1987 after departure of professor Samarin R. I. on pension two departments were again united in one which manager was professor Chokin A. R.

Since 1993 the department is headed by the doctor of medical sciences, professor Kamaliyev M. A.

Now the department of public health care is the main division of university performing the educational and pedagogical, methodical, research, educational work directed to training of specialists, possessing theoretical knowledge and practical skills of various sections of a public health and health care, medicine history.

Training of students is provided at the high methodical level and is based on the standard training programs of discipline constituted by the staff of department to whom all medical schools of the country follow.

The department gives practical and methodical help to bodies and the organizations of health care. 56 cycles “Implementation of the Single National Health Care System”, 2 cycles “Chosen Questions of Conducting Examination of Quality of Medical Services”, 4 cycles “The Chosen Questions of the Organization of Intrahospital Audit with Accreditation Elements”, the exit cycles “Organizational Bases of Forming of a Healthy Lifestyle” (Shymkent), “Urgent problems of resource management of health care” (Aktau), since 2016 – on implementation of compulsory social medical insurance are carried out.

Staff of department carried out a lot of work on creation of the Museum of history of the Kazakh national medical university of S. D. Asfendiyarov reflecting his formation, stages of development and activities. The museum was solemnly open to the 70 anniversary of university.