Kyrgyzstan has only 92 oncologists

Only 92 oncologists are working in Kyrgyzstan. Health Care Minister Talantbek Batyraliev announced today at a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Social Affairs, Education, Science, Culture and Health Care.

According to him, the rate of availability of oncologists in the past three years makes up 0.2 per 10,000 people. In Russia, for comparison, it is 0.47 per 10,000. "The country annually registers about 5,000 cases of malignant neoplasms. And this number is growing," the Minister said.

"Medicines cost is funded by 11 percent. Patients are forced to buy chemotherapy drugs, including expensive ones, at their own expense. One patient needs about $3 thousand for chemotherapy. Number of cancer patients is unattractive for many pharmaceutical firms, so they inactively import drugs into our country. Patients get the drugs with the help of relatives and friends from abroad. We have drawn up a strategy for the development of cancer aid for 2014-2020. Clinical protocols for the most common oncological diseases are being worked out at the time," Talantbek Batyraliev added.