The Ombudsman of Kyrgyzstan, Jamila Dzhamanbaeva, emphasizes the need to implement the constitutional right of citizens to receive quality and timely medical care, as well as to protect health.
In 2025, specialists from the Institute of Akikatchy conducted monitoring at the National Center for Oncology and Hematology, as well as in the pediatric oncology and oncohematology department of NCOMiD. The results of the inspection revealed numerous systemic problems and violations of patient rights, indicating insufficient quality of oncological care.
The institution lacks linear accelerators, modern diagnostic equipment, as well as qualified medical personnel and necessary medications. This leads to a deterioration in the health of patients and an increase in mortality rates from oncological diseases, and also creates serious socio-economic difficulties for their families, as they are forced to turn to private clinics.
The National Center for Oncology often faces queues for radiation therapy, where patients wait for treatment from one to two weeks. During the monitoring in August 2025, 34 patients were waiting to start radiation therapy, as two of the three treatment machines were out of order. Treatment was only carried out on an outdated "Babatron" machine.
Doctors warn that delays in providing medical care can worsen the disease and threaten patients' lives. Linear accelerators are only available in Bishkek, and patients from the regions have to travel to the capital for radiation therapy. Even if all three machines are functioning, it is extremely difficult to provide timely treatment for all those in need. According to the center, over the past five years, only about 25.6% of patients with newly diagnosed oncological diseases have been able to receive radiation therapy.
According to international standards, there should be one linear accelerator for every 300,000 people, and for 7 million people, at least 20 machines are needed. During the monitoring, there were 325 patients in the center, while 35,163 cancer patients are registered.
The situation is exacerbated by the lack of special fixation devices necessary for accurate patient positioning during treatment on linear accelerators. During the inspection, thermoplastic masks were absent in the radiation therapy department, and the available devices were worn out and deformed.
It is important to note that there is no possibility to conduct full procedures for children in the radiation therapy department, as children's thermomasks are absent. The results of the monitoring showed that it is extremely difficult to talk about early diagnosis of oncological diseases in the country due to outdated equipment and limited technical capabilities.
Only one ultrasound machine and one outdated mammograph (since 2014) were functioning in the center, while there is a shortage of angiographs and modern endoscopic and laparoscopic systems.
Funding for the oncology service does not meet the real needs of the hospital. From 2018 to 2024, about 3 million soms were allocated annually for these purposes. In 2024, funding increased to 176 million soms, and in 2025 to 800 million soms. However, according to the National Center for Oncology, 4.5 billion soms are required for the full functioning of the service, which is five times higher than the current funding.
The monitoring also revealed that oncology patients are not provided with the necessary medications. The hospital lacked 80 essential medicines. An analysis of medical and financial documentation showed that the problem is related to delays in deliveries and insufficient purchases by the state enterprise "Kyrgyzpharmacy".
Patients report that there are no expensive drugs for cancer treatment in the oncology hospital and in the country as a whole. They have to search for and purchase medications at their own expense. This grossly violates citizens' rights to access necessary medications and quality treatment.
To fully supply the oncology service with medications, at least 2.5 billion soms are needed. The situation requires immediate resolution, a review of procurement procedures, and a significant increase in funding for the oncology service.
The National Center for Oncology also needs new buildings. Every year, the load on the inpatient department increases, and there are two patients per bed. Some patients receive infusions while sitting in chairs.
Oncology departments exist in the regions; for example, in Osh, there are 15 beds where chemotherapy and simple surgeries are performed. In Jalal-Abad, Tokmok, and Batken, patients with only mild forms of diseases are accepted. In the Naryn region, there is not a single oncologist.
Monitoring in the pediatric oncology and oncohematology department of NCOMiD revealed similar problems. As of the end of August 2025, about 60 children were being treated in the NCOMiD hospitals. The number of new cases of oncology among children is increasing: if there were about 70 new cases per year in 2014, since 2023, their number has exceeded 200. The most commonly diagnosed are acute lymphoblastic leukemia, brain tumors, neuroblastomas, and nephroblastomas.
The increase in morbidity is partly related to improved diagnostics. Oncologists also note that the number of refusals from treatment has increased. "Patients do not trust medicine, they lack financial resources, and for religious reasons, many turn to mullahs and folk healers. One case: the parents of a child with leukemia after remission took him away and chose alternative methods of treatment. A year later, the disease progressed, and the child died," the doctors of the Center reported.
Following the monitoring, Jamila Dzhamanbaeva sent recommendations to the Cabinet of Ministers and various ministries, including the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Health, to address the identified problems.
The Ombudsman proposed to develop a new strategy for controlling and preventing oncological diseases, as well as to approve a comprehensive plan for combating oncological diseases for 2025-2030. She also emphasized the need to work on refusals from treatment and to provide social and psychological support to families of cancer patients.
In addition, the akiykatchy proposes to allocate funding in the republican budget for the maintenance of equipment and to review the conditions for purchasing medications for oncology patients.
