Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (November 23, 2011) - The Global Fund project providing material and technical support to sanitary-epidemiological laboratories of Kyrgyzstan. Currently, renovation works are carried out in 20 labs at the total cost of USD 217,295. The works should be completed by the end of November 2011.
Lidia Grishko, the GFATM Construction Engineering Expert:
“Before the renovation work began, an evaluation committee including representatives of the State Sanitary Epidemiological Oversight Department of the Ministry (SSEOD) visited all 20 laboratories. My task was to determine the scope of necessary work in 10 laboratories in the north of the country. I have to say that all labs need the renovation works badly. For instance, the Karakol laboratory was in extremely bad conditions and the committee prohibited doing the renovation works there, so an alternative building was converted into a laboratory. To date, 40% of the construction work in the north has been completed.”
According to Jenishbek Jusupov, GFATM project expert, laboratories in the south of the country are in similar conditions. Most of them are in extremely bad conditions. Laboratory staff had to work in poor conditions, which affected the quality of services they provided.
The medical personnel of the Bishkek Municipal Centre for Sanitary and Epidemiological Surveillance (MCSES) are eagerly awaiting the renovation of their premises. According to Gulkair Orokchieva, entomologist of the Bishkek MCSES, scarce budget funds were sufficient for a very basic annual renovation. This year the GFATM project funds helped to carry out the comprehensive renovation works for the first time in many years and she is confident that this will improve working conditions and allow the MCSES to conduct additional research into detecting malaria in Bishkek.
“Malaria must be constantly controlled by physicians, says Ms. Orokchieva, therefore the MCSES and the Global Fund project are taking measures to prevent and avoid malaria cases in the capital. So far in 2011, four cases of imported malaria have been registered in Bishkek. Two of the patients are citizens of Pakistan and the other two are Kyrgyz citizens who have visited Pakistan and an African country. Unfortunately, the latter case proved fatal, as the patient reported to the hospital too late. Therefore, the MCSES’s parasitological laboratory will be giving special priority to patients with a high fever – this is the core malaria symptom. Anybody who would like to be blood tested for malaria in our laboratory is welcome to do so”.
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