The National Oncology Center is facing a critical situation, as reported by the Ombudsman Institute. The agency's press service draws attention to a serious shortage of modern medical equipment, which negatively affects the quality of treatment for cancer patients.
During a monitoring conducted in August 2025, it was found that out of three linear accelerators for radiation therapy, two are non-operational. As a result, treatment is only being conducted on an outdated "Babatron" machine. Even if all three devices were operational, providing necessary assistance to all those in need would be extremely difficult: over the past five years, only 25.6% of patients with newly diagnosed cancer were able to receive radiation therapy.
Additionally, the radiation therapy department is experiencing a shortage of special fixation devices, such as thermoplastic masks, which are necessary to ensure the precise positioning of patients and safe targeting of tumors. At the same time, pediatric thermomasks are completely absent, making it impossible to carry out procedures for children.
Human rights defenders also report the presence of an outdated mammogram machine that has not been updated since 2014, as well as one ultrasound machine and a lack of angiographs, modern endoscopic, and laparoscopic systems. The situation is exacerbated by the absence of linear accelerators in the regions, forcing patients from all over the country to travel to Bishkek for necessary treatment.
The Ombudsman Institute emphasizes that the current state of medical equipment does not meet international standards and poses a threat to the timely treatment and health of thousands of citizens suffering from cancer.
