The interview with Professor Rustam Tukhvatshin, a laureate of the State Prize of Kyrgyzstan in the field of science and technology, published in "Evening Bishkek," has sparked significant public interest. The discussion focused on the implementation of scientific developments by Kyrgyz scientists, which has become an important topic for the scientific and medical community.
Continuing this important discussion, VB.KG met with Professor Akylbek Usupbaev, the director of the Republican Scientific Center of Urology at the National Hospital, head of the Department of Urology and Andrology at KGMA, and a corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences. He is one of the leading inventors in the country.
Akylbek Cholponkulovich, there are many inventions and innovative solutions in various fields in Kyrgyzstan, yet the authors complain that their ideas do not find application. Why does this happen? What obstacles stand in the way of implementing innovations?
- I have 56 registered patents, and some of them have attracted the interest of well-known medical journals, asking for articles about my developments in surgical urology that genuinely help patients. My colleagues and I propose new treatment methods for various diseases, and this is the main value of our inventions. However, to promote these technologies, including at the international level, state support is necessary, particularly from "Kyrgyzpatent."
Unfortunately, we, the inventors, do not feel such support. The situation, in my opinion, is quite strange. Previously, there was a team of experts at "Kyrgyzpatent" that evaluated innovations, and studies were conducted at the level of the World Intellectual Property Organization, allowing for the issuance of diplomas for inventions. Currently, "Kyrgyzpatent" transfers our developments to the Eurasian Patent Organization, and if they receive approval there, only then can we expect a patent. If the process used to take a year, now it can take three years.
I believe this is completely wrong. Innovations should remain in the country until they are officially approved. Otherwise, we are passing our scientific ideas and developments for consideration to other states, which is incorrect. Our scientists should assess the significance of inventions not only in medicine but also in other fields. New ideas should be commercially viable, and we are essentially giving them away for free.
Thus, is inventing not the most profitable endeavor?
- Our ideas are not protected and not promoted. "Kyrgyzpatent" should evaluate, promote, and sell our developments. However, such support is lacking, and the question arises: what is the purpose of an organization like "Kyrgyzpatent" if it merely acts as an intermediary between our inventors and the Eurasian Patent Organization?
What about the fate of already existing patents?
- Most patents remain with the inventors themselves, as we face numerous obstacles on the path to implementation, primarily financial ones. Inventing in our country does not bring profit; it is often a losing endeavor. Although costs should be recouped, in practice, this happens very rarely. Patents are not in high demand in our market. However, the beneficial aspects of our patents, especially in medicine, lie in improving diagnostic and treatment technologies. We, urologist surgeons, voluntarily conduct medical conferences and master classes on new methods to train our colleagues. One way or another, inventions bring benefits and moral satisfaction to their authors. Worthy developments will not go unnoticed.
Nevertheless, despite the potential for innovations to be applied in Bishkek and other major cities, doctors in peripheral areas face a lack of necessary equipment. How can innovative technologies be implemented if, for example, there is only one urologist in the Talas region? It is difficult to attract young specialists even with high salaries if there is no equipment to work with. This limits their professional development and growth, which is extremely important for the younger generation of doctors eager to master modern technologies.
What then drives you towards modernizing surgical methods and inventing if there is no material reward?
- It is a love for the profession. Despite its banality, it is true. Most doctors cannot live without the hospital atmosphere. I experience immense moral satisfaction after successful operations and inventions created because they help patients.
We actively apply new surgical treatment methods, both my own and those of my colleagues. However, patents, as you noted, do not provide us with real benefits. They benefit patients, but the authors receive no reward for it. The Higher Attestation Commission and the National Academy of Sciences require us to publish our developments in Scopus-indexed journals. Without such publications, our scientific data and patents are not recognized. However, publishing an article in a Scopus-indexed journal requires significant expenses, ranging from one to five thousand dollars, which is an unaffordable amount for most scientists, including graduate students.
Together with Doctor of Medical Sciences Renat Kurmanaliev, we developed a surgical technique for treating strictures of the renal pelvis-ureter segment in men using autoplasty. We achieved good results and obtained a patent for this technology, writing a scientific article. Some American journals have shown interest in our method, and I receive regular inquiries asking me to share information about it. However, we, as doctors, do not know how to promote our developments and make money from them. I can develop a new surgical method, but I do not know how to promote it, and I do not have time for that. This applies not only to me but to many scientists.
"Kyrgyzpatent" should employ specialists from various scientific fields who could promote and sell our ideas. This would significantly enhance Kyrgyzstan's image and bring profit to both the country and the authors. Even if an author receives ten percent of the income from their invention, that would already be significant. But now we have many patents and do not know what to do with them. The only consolation is the opportunity to teach colleagues methods that help our patients.
