In the republic, only about 40 pharmacies have permission to sell narcotic and psychotropic analgesics.
Read on the topic About 20,000 Kyrgyz citizens need palliative care annually
Milana Turgunalieva noted that patients in need of pain relief are forced to travel significant distances to obtain the necessary medications. For example, a young woman from Sokuluk traveled to Bishkek twice a week to get narcotic analgesics for her seriously ill mother, while also having to combine these trips with work. There are no pharmacies in Sokuluk that dispense such medications, and hospitalization for the patient was also impossible.
Additionally, she mentioned the existing problem of morphinophobia in the country, which affects both patients and medical workers.
“The level of awareness remains low, and training for doctors in this area is not happening actively enough,” said Milana Turgunalieva. “Currently, a project is being developed regarding the procedure for providing palliative and hospice care, which, if adopted, could address a number of pressing issues in this field.”
