Iskender Shayahemtov, the director of the Bishkek Emergency Medical Care Center, stated in an interview with the "Kabar" agency that thanks to the increase in doctors' salaries, the staff shortage in the ambulance service has been significantly reduced. Currently, the center employs 210 doctors and 365 nurses. However, a complete resolution of the staffing issue has not yet been achieved.
Shayahemtov noted that last year the situation was critical: 98 medical positions remained vacant. The situation began to improve after the salaries of emergency workers were raised.
“Last year, at the direction of the president, the salaries of ambulance staff in Bishkek and Osh were increased by 20,000 soms. Currently, we have 32 vacant positions left. Thus, the staff shortage has been reduced threefold,” he added.
Currently, there are five ambulance stations operating in Bishkek with 22 teams, and 42 vehicles are constantly on the line. Shayahemtov specified that the first station is located in the northern part of the city — in the residential area "Ak-Bosogo," the second — near the "Manas" cinema, the third — in the village of Lebedinovka, the fourth — in the area of the Young Guard Boulevard and Ryskulov Street, and the fifth station was opened two years ago in the residential area "Ak-Orgo." These teams respond to calls from neighboring districts.
However, according to the director of the EMS, this number of teams is still insufficient. “During the Soviet era, 59 teams served 540,000 residents of Frunze. Now, with a population of about 1.3 million in Bishkek, 42 teams are unable to cope with the workload, leading to delays in responding to patients,” Shayahemtov noted.
