BISHKEK (TCA) — IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, has helped the Government of Kyrgyzstan improve dialysis treatment for patients suffering from kidney failure, part of the Government’s effort to improve patients access to high-quality health services in the country.
Every year, more and more people are suffering from kidney failure in Kyrgyzstan, and only 20% of patients that need lifesaving dialysis treatment have access to it through public health facilities.
The Kyrgyz Ministry of Health signed a landmark public-private partnership (PPP) agreement on August 16 with Germany’s company, Fresenius Medical Care, which won a competitive bidding process to provide dialysis services, the IFC said in a press release.
“We have been actively working to collaborate with the private sector to meet the growing needs for high-quality healthcare services,” said Talantbek Batyraliev, the Kyrgyz Republic’s Minister of Health. “We are now happy to sign this first-of-its-kind, market-changing PPP agreement which will ensure our citizens have access to high-quality, international-quality dialysis treatment from the global leader in dialysis services.”
The partnership will ensure the company provides all-inclusive dialysis treatment to the people of Bishkek and two other densely populated regions, known as oblasts, covering about 75 percent of the Kyrgyz population. The new dialysis centers are part of a Ministry of Health program to improve the country’s healthcare infrastructure, including through the use of public-private-partnerships.
At the request of the Ministry of Health, IFC provided advice and expertise in implementing the project, which is the first developed under the Ministry of Health’s public-private partnership program. The dialysis project is expected to deliver high-quality services in accordance with the best industry standards, save the government money, and expand access of dialysis services to more patients.
“This is an excellent example of how the private and public sectors can work together to make a difference,” said Moazzam Mekan, IFC Regional Manager for Central Asia. “Public-private partnerships are a central component of the government’s strategy for private sector development in the country. We are happy to have worked with the Ministry of Health to provide transaction advisory services in implementation of this project at international standards to attract a highly-qualified partner to increase people’s access to affordable dialysis treatment. IFC stands ready to continue to support the government in achieving its goals to increase private investment and improve its people’s access to quality services.”
This project is supported by several development organizations, such as KfW, which is acting on behalf of the German Development Ministry and the governments of Austria, Hungary and Switzerland.
