On January 12, it became known about the dismissal of the directors of the National Center for Cardiology and Therapy, Talantbek Sooronbaev, and the Research Institute of Heart Surgery and Organ Transplantation, Samidin Shabyraliev, due to violations discovered during the inspection.
Kadyraliev noted that the inspections concern not only the mentioned institutions but also other hospitals across the country.
He emphasized that consumables and medical equipment are often stored in inappropriate conditions, which is unacceptable. In Kyrgyzstan, cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of morbidity and mortality, requiring constant monitoring of the condition of cardiology patients.
“In intensive care units, hemodynamic indicators such as blood pressure and heart rate need to be monitored around the clock. However, adherence to protocols does not always occur. For example, if there are 18 patients in the intensive care unit, ultrasound machines should always be available, but this is not always the case. In critical situations, a doctor must make decisions within 5-10 minutes to save a patient,” he explained.
Various factors influence mortality from cardiovascular diseases, primarily related to the treatment process.
“It is known that 5 children underwent repeated surgeries after the work of the team from the Research Institute of Heart Surgery and Organ Transplantation. And this is just a small part of the information I have,” he added.
According to him, consumables should not be stored in inappropriate places. President Sadyr Japarov instructed to install an ultrasound machine in the intensive care unit on May 8, but this order was not fulfilled, which is a serious violation. Protocols and international standards require that equipment be available in the intensive care unit. Currently, treatment standards are undergoing changes, including the introduction of minimally invasive methods without opening the chest, which have not been used for adult patients in the last 2-3 years,” he emphasized.
Kadyraliev reported that issues of optimizing budget expenditures and organizing treatment are also under the control of a special commission. “We have an attestation commission that conducted inspections two years ago, identifying serious problems. During this time, none of the violations have been addressed. Currently, we are checking the accreditation of all medical institutions,” he added.
According to the deputy minister, the state actively supports the healthcare system by allocating funds and acquiring new equipment.
“However, as you may have noticed, this equipment often just sits idle in offices and is not used for treating patients. It should be aimed at reducing mortality from cardiovascular diseases. Now we demand accountability from the directors of the centers for their work, regarding both treatment and staff organization, as there is a staff shortage,” he noted.
In the field of science, according to Kadyraliev, no doctor of medical sciences has defended a dissertation in the last 10 years, and the number of publications is extremely limited, indicating that new approaches and technologies are not being implemented. Over the past 15 years, practically no new specialists trained according to modern standards have worked in the system.
Old treatment methods, used for over 30 years, continue to be applied without updates. A school with modern approaches has not been created, and science, staff training, and new treatment methods must be considered comprehensively to achieve results,” he added.
Kadyraliev also reported that one patient had been hospitalized for nine days, although according to international standards, diagnosis should be conducted the next day. The patient repeatedly came from the regions, and available machines could have been used, so the commission deemed this situation incorrect.
Commenting on the dismissal of directors Talantbek Sooronbaev and Samidin Shabyraliev, the deputy minister explained that no one forced them to leave medicine.
“Their task now is to pass on their experience to young specialists, to be advisors and share practices, which is a common global practice. Specialists in pulmonology and cardiac surgery can continue to work in their fields, but it is important that they are effective in organizing work,” he added.
The inspections revealed numerous violations, including improper storage of consumables and equipment. Even if there is insufficient space, the equipment must be neatly arranged so that it can be used after repairs are completed. The responsible directors have not been removed from medicine, but they no longer hold leadership positions due to unsatisfactory inspection results.
The cost of equipment worth 28 million soms, purchased for a large sum, has not been utilized, Kadyraliev noted.
The deputy minister added that the equipment was simply taken and returned, while it should be working for patients.
“As for thrombolysis drugs, they are necessary if an angiograph is absent during stent placement. There is such a machine in Bishkek, so thrombolysis can be applied through percutaneous intervention. When a patient with a heart attack arrives by ambulance, the drug must be administered immediately before stent placement. This is not just our recommendation, but an international protocol (guidelines). Even if an angiograph is absent, thrombolysis should be applied in the regions,” he noted.
Thus, this third-level hospital has not always used thrombolysis in the last one and a half to two years. Our team created a working commission and halted this process, as the drug has not been used in the last two months, and after a heart attack, administering thrombolysis no longer makes sense.
Moreover, every two to three years, recommendations need to be updated and followed. In Kyrgyzstan, vascular diseases remain among the leading causes of mortality. Can it be claimed that this is related to untimely primary assistance and surgeries? Yes, such a correlation exists, and it is precisely because of this that queues arise, which are incomprehensible.
This is one of the reasons. In fact, the problem is complex — from primary to tertiary level. We have not yet fully restructured the system to avoid queues. In our opinion, the organization within institutions has been incorrect.
According to available information, about 700 children undergo surgeries in other countries,” he added.
Kadyraliev stated that any new team always sets tasks for changes.
“Many reforms are currently being implemented, and we must work effectively and around the clock. Discipline needs to be established, and doctors in the field must be held accountable,” he concluded.
“When it comes to reform, we have a separate system and protocols. Many points have already been documented, and our task is to bring this into order. For example, the same cataract in the right and left eye is treated differently by two different specialists — this needs to be corrected. The same goes for heart surgeries: one surgeon operates according to one protocol, another according to another. Therefore, our top priority is to establish order,” he added.
“Secondly, we do not exclude anyone from the system, but invite modern specialists who have worked not only abroad but also here. Some professors who have not relinquished their positions for 30 years have moved to private centers or abroad. We invite those who are successfully working abroad to contribute to the healthcare of the country and share their experience. We strive to implement new technologies and modern approaches,” he summarized.
