Recently, at the "Ak-Keme" hotel, the Ministry of Health of the Kyrgyz Republic and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) held a round table on current issues of reproductive health.
The purpose of the interactive round table was to draw public attention to reproductive health issues. Many reproductive health problems extend beyond the healthcare sector and require an inter-agency approach to address these issues. Key indicators of reproductive health are generally considered to be birth rates, infant and maternal mortality, abortion rates, and the frequency of contraceptive use among the reproductive-age population.
As part of the implementation of the National Program for the Reform of the Healthcare System "Den-Sooluk" for 2012-2016, an analysis of the implementation of the "National Strategy for the Protection of Reproductive Health of the Population of the Kyrgyz Republic" until 2015 was presented at this discussion, and further steps for improving the reproductive health of the population of the Kyrgyz Republic until 2020 were discussed.
The round table presented the results and recommendations of the first national report on the Confidential Investigation of Maternal Mortality Cases (CIMMC). The goal of CIMMC is to reduce maternal mortality in the Kyrgyz Republic by identifying the actual medical and non-medical causes leading to maternal mortality cases, including social and family factors. Recommendations for improving the quality of care for pregnant women and mothers in the Kyrgyz Republic, requiring an inter-sectoral approach, were also presented. Out of 149 cases of maternal mortality officially registered in the Kyrgyz Republic during the period from 2011 to 2012, the methodology of confidential audit of maternal mortality cases analyzed 95 (64%) birth histories, with the main causes of death among women during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period being bleeding (43.2%), high blood pressure (19%), and infectious complications (13.7%). The analysis highlighted difficulties in providing medical assistance, where, alongside causes dependent on the healthcare sector, there were socio-economic vulnerabilities of the mother; external and internal migration of the population; lack of awareness about dangerous signs during pregnancy and after childbirth, both on the part of the woman and her family members; and late seeking of medical assistance.
The share of maternal deaths in the total number of deaths among women aged 15 to 49 years decreased from 5.5% to 3.3% from 1990 to 2010. In recent years, there has been a trend[1] towards a reduction in the maternal mortality ratio (75.3 per 100,000 live births in 2009, 50.3 per 100,000 live births in 2012, 39.2 per 100,000 live births in 2013). However, achieving the set goal still requires significant efforts.
To determine the accessibility of low-income and socially vulnerable categories of the population to quality contraceptive methods, an analysis of the current situation regarding family planning in the Kyrgyz Republic was conducted. The lack of a mechanism to provide medical-social risk groups in the field of family planning services is one of the factors affecting women's health indicators.
Participants of the round table agreed that it is necessary to establish broad and effective partnerships between government bodies, non-governmental organizations, the private sector, and the international community for the further development, implementation, and evaluation of the effectiveness of programs for the protection of citizens' reproductive health. Recognizing the urgent need to meet existing family planning needs, additional resources and political commitments from the Government are necessary to fulfill family planning programs.
