According to the decree, the Kyrgyz State Medical Academy named after I.K. Akhunbaev receives the status of a system-forming state university, which will have exclusive rights to train and retrain specialists in the field of medicine and pharmaceuticals.
Changes in the system
According to the new law, all educational programs in medicine and pharmaceuticals are subject to mandatory state accreditation. Educational institutions that do not undergo this process will not be able to accept students or issue state-recognized diplomas.
A state franchise system is also being introduced, requiring private medical educational institutions to work in cooperation with the system-forming state university. This includes the use of state educational programs and teaching materials, as well as oversight by the foundational structure.
State control over the quality of medical personnel training will be tightened. All functions of licensing, supervision, and monitoring of educational organizations will be transferred to the relevant health authority.
Operation of the new system
Without accreditation, educational institutions will not be able to conduct training in medical and pharmaceutical specialties. Private educational institutions that have passed accreditation must enter into an agreement with the system-forming university, which will oversee the training process.
The Ministry of Health will monitor and evaluate the quality of training for medical and pharmaceutical professionals. Only organizations with a license from the health authority will be able to conduct educational activities in these fields.
Internship and residency programs will be implemented exclusively by accredited educational institutions and clinics. Upon completion of their practice, graduates will be awarded the corresponding specialty.
The new provisions define the requirements for the material and technical base of private medical educational organizations and clarify the powers of state bodies in the regulation of medical education. The Cabinet of Ministers is required to align its regulatory acts with the new law within three months.
Text of the law
Article 1
Amendments to the Law of the Kyrgyz Republic "On the Licensing and Permitting System in the Kyrgyz Republic" (Bulletin of the Jogorku Kenesh of the Kyrgyz Republic, 2013, No. 9, Art. 990) are introduced:
1) Part 1 of Article 31 is supplemented by point 10 as follows:
“10) failure to undergo state accreditation by an educational organization conducting programs of secondary, higher, postgraduate professional, and (or) additional education in the field of healthcare.”;
2) Article 32 is stated as follows:
“Article 32. Termination of the license and (or) permit
If the reasons for which the license was suspended are not eliminated, it and (or) the permit are annulled by a court decision based on the application of the licensor, except in cases of educational activities in the field of medical and pharmaceutical education.”
Article 2
Amendments to the Law of the Kyrgyz Republic "On Science" (newspaper "Erkin-Too" dated August 15, 2023, No. 65):
1) In Article 9:
a) Part 1 is stated as follows:
“1. Scientific and scientific-technical organizations are legal entities engaged in scientific and scientific-innovative activities in accordance with the goals and objectives provided for in their charter, except for organizations working in the field of healthcare. Scientific organizations can engage in scientific activities in the field of healthcare only after undergoing mandatory state accreditation in the manner established by the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic.”;
b) Paragraph of the first point 4 is changed to:
“4. Scientific and scientific-technical organizations, except for those working in the field of healthcare, are subject to state certification to ensure the quality of their activities.”;
2) In Article 19:
a) Point 1 is stated as follows:
“1) formation of state policy in the field of science, scientific and innovative activities, implementation of intersectoral coordination, except for organizations engaged in training personnel in the field of healthcare;”;
b) Points 16 and 17 are changed as follows:
“16) determination of the procedure for conducting state certification/accreditation of scientific-technical organizations, except for scientific organizations engaged in training scientific personnel in the field of healthcare;
17) determination of the procedure for appointing and dismissing heads of research institutes of higher professional educational organizations, except for organizations engaged in training scientific personnel in the field of healthcare;”.
Article 3
Amendments to the Law of the Kyrgyz Republic "On Education" (newspaper "Erkin-Too" dated August 18, 2023, No. 66):
1) In Article 3:
a) supplemented by point 15¹ as follows:
“15¹) state accreditation of medical educational organizations — recognition by the authorized state body in the field of healthcare of the compliance of educational services for medical and pharmaceutical education programs with the accreditation requirements established by the Cabinet of Ministers;”;
b) supplemented by point 45¹ as follows:
“45¹) educational franchise — a system in which a state educational organization grants a non-state educational organization the right to conduct educational activities according to approved programs using its materials and standards;”;
2) In Article 13:
a) Point 1 is stated as follows:
“1) formation of state policy in the field of education, development strategy of the system, excluding programs and models of training in healthcare;”;
b) Point 8 is changed to:
“8) monitoring and evaluation of the quality of formal education, except for organizations with the status of a system-forming state educational organization, the evaluation of which will be conducted by the authorized state body in the field of healthcare;”;
3) Article 17 is supplemented by part 8 as follows:
“8. To control the quality of educational services, non-state medical educational organizations that have passed accreditation must enter into an agreement with the system-forming university on the franchise or management of the training process in medical and pharmaceutical specialties, including additional education in healthcare.
The procedure for providing services under the educational franchise is established by the Cabinet of Ministers.”;
4) Part 6 of Article 18 is supplemented by the following sentence: “The charter of an educational organization with the status of a system-forming state educational organization is approved by the founder in the manner established by the civil legislation of the Kyrgyz Republic.”;
5) In parts 5 and 7 of Article 22, after the words “in the field of” add the word “healthcare,”;
6) In Article 23:
a) Point 2 of part 2 is changed to:
“2) state educational organizations conducting higher and postgraduate education programs with special status, except for educational organizations implementing programs in the field of healthcare;”;
b) supplemented by part 6 as follows:
“6. Licenses for conducting medical and pharmaceutical educational activities are issued by the authorized body in the field of healthcare.”;
7) In Article 24:
a) supplemented by part 1¹ as follows:
“1¹. Educational organizations conducting programs in the field of healthcare undergo mandatory accreditation in the manner established by the Cabinet of Ministers.
Organizations that do not undergo accreditation cannot issue state-recognized documents and accept students.”;
b) Part 2 is stated as follows:
“2. An educational organization, except for those working in the field of healthcare, independently selects the accreditation agency. Accreditation is financed from the organization's own funds.”;
8) Article 29 is supplemented by part 4¹ as follows:
“4¹. An educational organization with the status of a system-forming state educational organization has the exclusive right to:
train specialists with higher medical and pharmaceutical education, retrain and improve the qualifications of medical and scientific personnel;
provide services for managing the academic and methodological training process in medical and pharmaceutical specialties.”;
9) Change the third paragraph of part 5 of Article 57 to:
“State educational organizations with special status have the right, in agreement with the board of trustees, to dispose of the material and technical base acquired at their own expense.”;
10) In Article 59, supplemented by part 12 as follows:
“12. Private educational organizations conducting programs in the field of healthcare must have the necessary buildings and equipment as property.”.
Article 4
Amendments to the Law of the Kyrgyz Republic "On the Protection of Citizens' Health" (newspaper "Erkin-Too" dated January 19, 2024, No. 5):
1) Part 1 of Article 10 is supplemented by points 20 and 21 as follows:
“20) formation and implementation of state policy on educational programs in the field of healthcare;
21) monitoring and evaluation of the quality of work of the educational organization with the status of a system-forming state educational organization in training medical and scientific personnel.”;
2) Article 18 is stated as follows:
“Article 18. Medical and pharmaceutical education, medical and pharmaceutical science
The authorized body in the field of healthcare issues licenses to educational organizations conducting programs in the field of healthcare.
Training of medical personnel in the Kyrgyz Republic is carried out based on a state order from the authorized body, which conducts annual monitoring of personnel in healthcare organizations.
Implementation of educational programs in the field of healthcare is carried out only by accredited educational organizations. They can implement programs based on passing accreditation in the manner established by the Cabinet of Ministers.
Quality control of training for medical and pharmaceutical professionals is carried out by the authorized body based on the results of state accreditation.
Heads of state educational organizations conducting programs in the field of healthcare are appointed in the manner established by the Cabinet of Ministers.
Coordination of scientific research and training of highly qualified personnel for the healthcare system is carried out in accordance with the rules established by the Cabinet of Ministers.”;
3) Part 1 of Article 19 is stated as follows:
“1. Educational activities in the field of healthcare are conducted in medical and pharmaceutical organizations based on state accreditation.”;
4) In Article 155:
a) Part 2 is supplemented by the word “, postgraduate” after the word “master's”;
b) Part 3 is stated as follows:
“3. Acquisition of additional knowledge by specialists in the field of healthcare is carried out through educational programs that have passed accreditation. The procedure for providing additional education and requirements for organizations are determined by the Cabinet of Ministers.”;
5) In Article 156:
a) Part 1 is stated as follows:
“1. Internship is a program of internship conducted in accredited educational organizations and clinics designated by the authorized body. Graduates who pass the assessment are awarded a specialty.
Internship programs must comply with professional standards established in the field of healthcare and are determined by the educational organization with the status of a system-forming state university.”;
b) The third paragraph of part 2 is changed as follows:
“Residency programs must meet the qualification requirements in the field of healthcare and are determined by accredited educational organizations.”.
Article 5
The law comes into force ten days after its official publication.
The Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic must align its regulatory acts with the law within three months.
President of the Kyrgyz Republic S. Japarov
