Kyrgyzstan Local Politics - The Times Of Central Asia

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Kyrgyzstan Measles Outbreak Registers 4,000 Cases

Bishkek is currently dealing with a measles outbreak, with cases also reported in the Chui and Jalal-Abad regions. Up to 85% of all those affected are children under the age of 10. The city of Bishkek's main immunization center stressed in a statement: "The main reason for the increase [...] remains a large number of refusals of routine immunization against measles and rubella among children and adults." According to Kyrgyzstan's Ministry of Health, 40% percent of people who refuse their innoculations say that they doubt the quality of the vaccine, with the rest refusing to immunize their children for religious reasons. This is in spite of the fact that under Kyrgyz law parents can face criminal penalties if they deliberately fail to seek medical help when a child's health is in danger. In response to the measles outbreak, the Ministry of Health mandated a strengthened immunization regime throughout the country, and pushed to vaccinate high-contact citizens. The National Immunization Calendar is also under review: currently the measles vaccine should be administered twice in a person's lifetime -- at one year, and at the age of six -- but Kyrgyz doctors want to add another dose at the age of two. In turn, the World Health Organization (WHO) says that children who have been in contact with a measles patient can be vaccinated as early as six months of age. According to the Ministry of Health's clinical guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of measles, susceptibility to the disease is highest in children aged one to five. An outbreak of measles was observed in the republic last year as well. In September 2023 the Kyrgyz authorities appealed to the WHO for help. As a result, 755,500 doses of measles and rubella vaccine were delivered to Kyrgyzstan, and 750 temporary vaccination points were opened throughout the country. For the calendar year 2023, according to official data, 5,500 people fell ill, and doctors were unable to save nine children.

Central Asia Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan International Affairs Kyrgyzstan Local Politics Kyrgyzstan Business & Economy

Chinese Company to Build an Automobile Plant in Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan’s President Sadyr Japarov attended a ceremony on February 28th to launch the construction of an automotive assembly plant in the country’s northern Chui region. The plant which will have the capacity to produce over 80,000 vehicles -electric, domestic, and commercial – is due to open in August this year. A joint venture between the Kyrgyz government, local enterprises, and the China Hubei Zhuoyue Group, the first stage of the project has attracted investment of $115 million. In his speech, President Japarov expressed the government’s confidence that the project will provide significant impetus to the development of the automotive industry in Kyrgyzstan and in turn, the creation of new jobs. The Chinese Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Du Dewen attributed the instigation of the project to a strategic partnership between the two countries. Thanking the Kyrgyz president for his personal attention and support, she expressed her hope that this project will exemplify a deepening interaction between Kyrgyzstan and China.

Central Asia Environment Kyrgyzstan Environment Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan Local Politics

World Bank to Help Increase Kyrgyzstan’s Resilience to Climate Change

A $45 million financing package for the Kyrgyz Republic Resilient Landscape Restoration Project, to be implemented until 2029, was approved by the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors on February 27th. Complemented by a $5 million grant from the Global Partnership for Sustainable and Resilient Landscapes (PROGREEN) and a $2.4 million grant from the Korea–World Bank Partnership Facility (KWPF), the project aims to increase sustainable landscape management in selected locations in Kyrgyzstan and promote regional collaboration among Central Asian countries on transboundary landscape restoration. “We are pleased to assist the Kyrgyz Republic's Cabinet of Ministers in increasing the resilience of landscapes and communities to climate-induced hazards, and by enhancing the government’s capacity to monitor glaciers, snow cover, and mudflows, implement measures to adapt to and mitigate climate change,” announced Naveed Hassan Naqvi, World Bank Country Manager for the Kyrgyz Republic. “This project is an important step towards building a more resilient future for the people of the Kyrgyz Republic and will also have a positive impact on neighbouring countries.” The World Bank has affirmed that once in place, the project will directly benefit over 50,000 individuals in the most vulnerable, targeted rural areas of Jalal-Abad, Osh, Issyk-Kul, and Naryn, and communities located upstream of transboundary rivers. According to a 2018-19 study by the Central Asian Institute of Applied Geosciences, Kyrgyzstan’s glaciers have decreased by 16% over the past 50 years. The Ministry of Natural Resources earlier warned that many of the country’s 6,500 glaciers — which cover over 8,000 square kilometres and contain an estimated 650 cubic kilometres of freshwater — could shrink by 50% by 2050 and even completely disappear by the end of the century.

Central Asia Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan Local Politics

Online Portal Opens for Kyrgyz Citizens Wishing to Work in England

Kyrgyzstan's Ministry of Labor, Social Security and Migration has created an internet portal for every Kyrgyz citizen wishing to go to England for agricultural work to take an online questionnaire. Yesterday the Center for Employment of Citizens Abroad conducted online registration of Kyrgyz citizens, reporting that over 26,000 people were registered on the portal migrant.kg on the first day. Almost 15,000 people passed the first stage of selection, where they answered questions concerning their physical and mental health. All those who passed the first stage of selection will have to pass an in-person interview held with representatives of the English farms. Last year's quota for seasonal workers in England was 8,000. This will increase to 10,000 in 2024. According to the Ministry of Labor, applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 45 years, understand Russian -- but not necessarily English -- and be in good overall health. The employers in England guarantee Kyrgyz citizens a minimum of 32 hours of work per week and a wage of £10.50 ($13.30) per hour. Successful applicants will have to pay for their visa and flights to and from London themselves. Seasonal agricultural work in England lasts from April to October-November. Workers go to pick strawberries and raspberries in fields and farms, as well as pick and plant vegetables and fruits. There is also a year-round season for tending to greenhouses, and for packaging the finished products. Today, in addition to work in Russia -- where according to some data about one million citizens of Kyrgyzstan are economic migrants -- there are 15 different labor destinations available to Kyrgyz citizens. The website offers information about moving to and working in Europe, the Persian Gulf, and Southeast Asia.

Central Asia Local Politics Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan Local Politics Features

From Sabotage to Negligence: Kyrgyz Parliament Seeks to Hold Bishkek Plant Management Accountable After Accident

A special commission is working at the Bishkek thermal power (CHP) plant to find out the cause of the recent accident, with the President of Kyrgyzstan stating that he's taken personal control over the investigation. At a meeting of the Parliament of the Kyrgyz Republic today, MPs demanded the plant's management be held accountable - the same management which issues reassurances that there would be no accidents this winter, and that all equipment was ready for the cold season. "At a strategic facility, the manager has changed three times during the year. It is good that the accident happened at night and not during the day. The damage is said to have exceeded one billion som ($11 million). How many people were hurt, and who will be held responsible? The leaders must answer," MP Emil Toktoshev said, addressing those gathered at the meeting. "It is time to move from just a visual inspection of machinery and equipment to a fully-fledged technical audit, and not only [the Bishkek plant], but, in general, all boiler and power plants should be inspected not by eye. Let's find out what the problems and what needs to be done," said MP Dastan Bekeshev. In the early hours of February 2nd, an incident at the Bishkek CHP plant injured five people, and the city was left without heat and hot water for several days. The interdepartmental commission has been tasked with identifying the cause of the accident within a month. Based on this analysis, a list of urgent tasks will be developed which they say will ensure a stable end to the fall-winter heating period of 2023-24. Measures will also be drawn up to prevent similar situations in the future, including proposals for the reconstruction of the plant, and the decentralization of Bishkek's entire heating system. The Bishkek Prosecutor's Office has opened a criminal case over the accident.

Central Asia Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan Local Politics

All Kyrgyz Citizens in Need of Kidney Transplants to Receive Free Operations

On February 1, 2024, Kyrgyzstan's first free kidney transplant was successfully performed on a 22-year-old girl in a Bishkek hospital. However, about 2,500 Kyrgyz people still have to receive dialysis while they wait for a new organ. All kidney transplants will now be paid for by the state, Kyrgyz health minister Alymkadyr Beishenaliyev said. The Health Ministry said that each patient undergoing dialysis must purify his or her blood of toxic substances several times a week. In the past, many did the procedure at their own expense. The price for three dialysis procedures is about $100, and not every Kyrgyzstani can afford it. Nor can many afford a kidney transplant operation. The state previously covered part of the costs when a person had a disability -- but now the authorities plan to help all those with the most severe kidney issues. "We planned to conduct 50 free surgeries at first. However, after the free surgery the other day, I talked to the president. He said that we should conduct free surgeries for all the needy 2,500 patients who are now receiving hemodialysis. If we perform the surgeries, the money now spent on hemodialysis will be a good saving for the budget," Beishenaliyev said. One kidney transplant operation costs the state $7,500, while dialysis costs $14,000-15,000 per patient per year, he said. It will be more economical for the budget than spending on hemodialysis every time, the minister calculated. Kyrgyz president Sadyr Japarov has taken a personal interest in the issue. The head of state said that 50 patients have already found donors, underwent a full medical examination and are preparing for surgery. "The first benefit is to help our citizens. The second is saving money. There are patients who have been receiving hemodialysis for 10-15 years," the president said. In an interview with the state news agency Kabar, Japarov said that a kidney transplant abroad costs $25,000-$50,000, and that he knows this firsthand because about 10 years ago his brother had such an operation in another country. As a result, his family paid $70,000, including travel expenses and post-operative rehabilitation procedures. Earlier this year, the head of state signed a law on the protection of citizens' health, according to which private and public hospitals in Kyrgyzstan can now perform organ transplants -- provided that the patient is a relative of the donor. Turkish nephrologists and kidney transplant specialists have come to Kyrgyzstan to help develop this field of medicine. Also, a group of Kyrgyz doctors is currently undergoing training in Turkey.