Upon graduating, Birtanov left for the United States to study intensive care and toxicology at the University of Arizona in Tucson.

In 2001, Birtanov graduated from the Russian Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education under the program "Management in Healthcare" in Moscow.

[1][citation needed] Birtanov's early career began while he studying as a nurse in the Department of Psychoneurology of the Central Clinical Hospital.

He resigned from the position as the minister on 25 June, stating that the complications from the virus had prevented him from leading an effort to combat the pandemic.

[6] On November 3, 2020, the Financial Monitoring Committee of the Ministry of Finance announced the institution of a criminal case against the former Minister of Health Birtanov E.A.

[8][9] On February 10, 2023, the court of the Saryarkinsky district of Astana considered an appeal against the verdict against Yelzhan Birtanov and left it unchanged.