The National Center for Maternal and Child Welfare has performed five free kidney transplant surgeries since the beginning of 2025. The Ministry of Health of Kyrgyzstan provided such data to 24.kg news agency.
Head of the Transplantology Department, Mirbek Baizakov, noted that doctors work on a request basis and do not force anyone. «There is funding so far, nothing has changed in this regard,» he told.
According to the Ministry of Health of the Kyrgyz Republic, 22 transplants of related kidneys were performed free of charge in 2024 «in accordance with the oral decision of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic.» At least 20 million soms were allocated from the republican budget.
«Currently, there are 128 patients on the list, who have applied for information about kidney transplants at the National Center for Maternal and Child Welfare; control is carried out jointly with the Ministry of Health of the Kyrgyz Republic. Upon completion of all stages of the step-by-step outpatient examination at the local clinic together with a nephrologist at the place of residence, the pair — donor and recipient — is added to transplant waiting list once fully prepared. To date, there are two pairs on the waiting list,» the ministry reported.
The outpatient examination process is covered under the state guarantee program, although some services are provided at private laboratories at the place of residence. On average, the total cost of outpatient examination can reach 150,000 soms per pair. Duration of the outpatient examination of the donor and recipient depends on the activity of the pair themselves and the awareness of the clinic. These costs are covered by the patients themselves.
In total, 65 kidney transplants have been performed at the National Center for Maternal and Child Welfare since 2018.
The recent increase in the number of operations has become possible thanks to the new strategy for the development of transplantology and the transition to budget financing. The center performs related transplants, with donors most often aged between 30 and 40.
It was reported a year ago that the Cabinet of Ministers allocated money for 50 free kidney transplants for patients undergoing dialysis. According to the calculations of the Ministry of Health, after a successful kidney transplant, the savings per patient will amount to 714,000 soms in the following years. More than 2,600 people were on dialysis at the time.
