The staff of the Ombudsman Institute conducted monitoring at the National Center for Oncology and Hematology, as well as at the children's oncology and oncohematology department of the NC of Oncology and Hematology in 2025. The press service of the agency reported the results of the inspection.
During the study, serious violations of patients' rights and systemic problems indicating a low level of oncological care in the country were identified.
The hospital is experiencing a shortage of modern diagnostic equipment, linear accelerators, qualified medical personnel, life-saving medications, and beds. This not only worsens patients' health and increases cancer mortality but also creates significant socio-economic difficulties for their families, who are forced to seek treatment in private clinics.
At the National Center for Oncology, patients experience delays in receiving radiation therapy, leading to a wait for treatment of one to two weeks.
In August 2025, 34 patients were waiting to start radiation therapy, as out of three treatment machines, two linear accelerators (Elekta Synergy and Elekta Synergy Platform) were non-operational, and treatment was only being conducted on an outdated "Babatron" machine.
Medical workers warn that delays in providing assistance can lead to disease progression and threaten patients' lives.
Linear accelerators are only available at the National Center for Oncology, and such machines are absent in the regions, forcing patients from all areas to travel to Bishkek for radiation therapy.
Even with all three machines operational, 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 cancer received radiation therapy.
According to international standards, there should be one linear accelerator for every 300,000 people, which means that for a population of 7 million, at least 20 such machines are needed.
At the time of monitoring, there were 325 patients at the National Center, while 35,163 cancer patients were registered.
The situation is further exacerbated by the lack of special fixation devices necessary for accurate patient positioning during radiation therapy, which increases the effectiveness of treatment and the safety of procedures.
In the radiation therapy department, there were no thermoplastic masks, and the available devices were worn out and deformed.
The absence of pediatric thermomasks makes it impossible to conduct full therapy for children.
“The results of the monitoring show that it is difficult to talk about early diagnosis of cancer in the country due to outdated equipment and limited technical capabilities.
There is only one ultrasound machine and one outdated mammograph (since 2014) in the center. There is a lack of angiographs and modern endoscopic and laparoscopic systems.
According to human rights defenders, the financial support for the oncology service does not meet the actual needs of the hospital.”
From 2018 to 2024, only about 3 million soms were allocated annually for oncological care. In 2024, funding increased to 176 million soms, and in 2025 to 800 million soms. However, for the full functioning of the service, 4.5 billion soms are needed, which is five times the current level of funding.
The monitoring also showed that patients are not provided with necessary medications — the hospital lacked 80 names of life-saving drugs.
While studying medical and financial documentation, the staff of the Ombudsman Institute noted that the problems are related to constant delays in supplies and insufficient purchases by "Kyrgyzpharmacy".
“There are no expensive drugs for cancer treatment in the oncology hospital and throughout the country. We are forced to search for and purchase medications ourselves,” patients reported.
The Ombudsman Institute emphasizes that the current situation grossly violates citizens' rights to access necessary medications and quality, continuous treatment.
To provide the oncology service with medications, at least 2.5 billion soms are required.
The situation demands urgent solutions, a review of procurement procedures, and a significant increase in funding for the oncology service.
Additionally, the National Center for Oncology needs new buildings. Each year, the load on the inpatient department increases, and there are two patients per bed; some patients receive infusions while sitting on chairs.
In the regions, there are oncology departments, for example, in Osh there are only 15 beds where chemotherapy is conducted and simple operations are performed. In Jalal-Abad, Tokmok, and Batken, only patients with mild forms of diseases are accepted, and there is not a single oncologist in the Naryn region.
Similar problems were identified in the children's oncology and oncohematology department of the NC of Oncology and Hematology. As of the end of August 2025, about 60 children were being treated in the NC of Oncology and Hematology hospitals.
The increase in new cases of cancer among children raises serious concerns. If in 2014 about 70 new cases were identified per year, since 2023 their number has exceeded 200, with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, brain tumors, neuroblastomas, and nephroblastomas being the most frequently diagnosed.
It should be noted that the increase in the number of cases is not only related to rising incidence rates but also to improved diagnostics.
Oncologists are alarmed by the increasing cases of refusal of treatment by children.
“They lack trust in medicine, have no financial means, and for religious reasons, people often turn to mullahs and folk healers. One case, where a child with leukemia after remission was switched to alternative treatment methods, ended tragically — a year later the disease returned, and the child died,” the doctors at the Center reported.
As a result of the monitoring, Ombudsman Jamila Dzhamanbaeva sent recommendations to the Cabinet of Ministers, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Health, and the state enterprise "Kyrgyzpharmacy" to address the identified violations.
The Ombudsman proposed to develop a new strategy for monitoring and preventing oncological diseases and to approve a comprehensive plan to combat oncology for 2025-2030.
Jamila Dzhamanbaeva also emphasized the need to work on issues of treatment refusal and to provide social and psychological support to families of cancer patients.
Additionally, the Ombudsman proposes to allocate funding for equipment maintenance in the republican budget and to review the conditions for purchasing medications for oncology patients.
