In an interview with a Turmush correspondent, she shared insights about the round-the-clock work in the emergency department, decisions directly related to human life, and unforgettable calls.
Zhyldyz Tezhibaeva was born in 1977 in the village of Ak-Moyun in the At-Bashin district. After graduating from high school in 1994, she enrolled in a medical college and completed her studies in 1997 with a degree in "general medicine."
Since that year, she has been working in the emergency department of the Naryn Regional Combined Hospital. Since 2015, she has held the position of senior paramedic, and her total work experience today is 29 years. Emergency medical service is a field where one must always be ready, make quick decisions, and maintain composure and humanity.
According to Zhyldyz, there are no two identical days in this profession.
An unforgettable severe traffic accident...
“It was summer, on one of the holiday days — I don’t remember which holiday exactly. More than ten years have passed since then. We received a call: a traffic accident on the Ak-Kiya stretch. When we arrived, we saw that the car had gone off the road, and the victims had sustained serious injuries. There were young people in the cabin. Unfortunately, several people died, including two girls. Two boys survived; we checked their condition: they complained of pain, but there were no fractures.
This case was very difficult for me. I felt once again how life can end in an instant and how dangerous road accidents are. We did everything we were supposed to: provided assistance, followed the protocol, and waited for the relevant services to arrive. Such situations are not forgotten by emergency medical staff.
At that moment, I understood again how unpredictable fate is: people can be in the same car, and one survives while the other dies,” she recounted.
Deliveries on the road and at home...
“Over the years of working in emergency services, we have responded to thousands of calls. Among them, cases related to childbirth are particularly memorable. I have had to assist in deliveries about seven times: sometimes at home, sometimes right on the road.
Once, we were transporting a woman to the maternity hospital. We offered to deliver at home, but she insisted on getting to the hospital. On the way, her contractions intensified, and when we approached the regional administration building, she asked the driver to stop. Her mother was with her. I began to assist with the delivery, following all medical protocols.
People around looked on in surprise, wondering why we had stopped. The driver got out and explained to keep their distance — a delivery was taking place here. So we successfully delivered the baby and transported the mother and child to the hospital. Such moments, although very challenging, remain some of the happiest,” she said.
Calls for various reasons
“Sometimes, emergency services are called for seemingly 'simple' reasons: after a family quarrel, during nervous tension, worsening health, or headaches. Additionally, there are often cases of violence: when a husband raises a hand against his wife, parents against a child, or conflicts involving force between neighbors — all of this is also part of our work.
All such cases are recorded in a special log and reported to the relevant authorities as required by law. There are situations where a person has attempted to harm themselves. In such cases, we strictly follow protocol and hand the person over to the police.
The main task of the emergency service is to help the living. If a person has already died by the time we arrive, we must report it to the police and hand over the situation to them. The same procedure applies in traffic accidents,” she shared.
The most challenging calls recently
“In recent months, there have been more cases of death from severe illnesses, including cancer. Sometimes we are called with the words 'very serious condition,' but upon arrival, it turns out that the person has already died. Yet, relatives still call for an ambulance. Because no one wants to lose a loved one. People hope: maybe the doctors will say otherwise, maybe there is still a chance. This is a human feeling. We try to understand them,” she said.
