Doctors warn that delays in providing medical assistance can lead to a deterioration in patients' conditions and threaten their lives.
Linear accelerators for radiation therapy are only available at the National Center for Oncology; such devices are absent in the regions, forcing patients from other areas to travel to Bishkek.
Even with three functioning devices, it is extremely difficult to provide the necessary treatment to all those in need. According to the center, only 25.6% of patients with a first-time cancer diagnosis received radiation therapy in the past five years.According to international standards, there should be one linear accelerator for every 300,000 residents, which means that for a population of 7 million, at least 20 such devices are required.
During the monitoring, there were 325 patients in the center, while 35,163 cancer patients were registered.
The situation is complicated by the lack of special fixation devices for linear accelerators, which are necessary for precise patient positioning and improving treatment effectiveness.
The radiation therapy department lacked thermoplastic masks, and other equipment was worn out and deformed.
Particularly concerning is the absence of the ability to conduct full procedures for children, as there were no pediatric thermomasks at all.
The monitoring revealed that early diagnosis of cancer diseases in the country is hampered by outdated equipment and limited technical capabilities.
Only one ultrasound machine and an outdated mammogram, which has not been updated since 2014, were operational in the center. There was a shortage of angiographs, modern endoscopic, and laparoscopic systems.
Funding for the oncology service does not meet actual needs. From 2018 to 2024, only about 3 million soms were allocated annually for these purposes; in 2024, the amount increased to 176 million, and in 2025 to 800 million soms. However, for the full functioning of the service, 4.5 billion soms are needed, which is five times the current funding level.
Moreover, the monitoring results showed that cancer patients lack vital medications—80 essential drug names were missing in the hospital.
The problem is related to constant delays in supplies and insufficient purchases by the state enterprise "Kyrgyzpharmacy."
Patients report: "In the oncology hospital, as well as throughout the country, there is a shortage of expensive drugs for cancer treatment. We are forced to search for and buy medications ourselves."
This situation violates citizens' rights to access necessary medications and quality treatment.
To ensure the oncology service has sufficient medications, at least 2.5 billion soms are required.
Urgent measures are needed, including a review of existing procurement procedures and an increase in funding for the oncology service.
The National Center for Oncology also needs new facilities. Each year, there is an overflow in the inpatient department: one bed effectively accommodates two patients, and some patients are forced to receive infusions while sitting in chairs.
Regional oncology departments, for example, in Osh, have only 15 beds and offer only basic chemotherapy procedures, while in Jalal-Abad, Tokmok, and Batken, they only accept patients with mild forms of diseases. There are no oncologists at all in the Naryn region.
The monitoring in the pediatric department of the NCODM revealed similar problems.
As of the end of August 2025, about 60 children were hospitalized at the NCODM. The rise in new cases of oncology among children raises serious concerns: while there were about 70 cases per year in 2014, by 2023, their number exceeded 200. The most frequently diagnosed conditions include acute lymphoblastic leukemia, brain tumors, neuroblastomas, and nephroblastomas.
The increase in cases is related not only to a rise in incidence but also to improved diagnostics.
Oncologists note that there has been an increase in cases where parents refuse treatment for their children. "They lack trust in medicine, many cannot afford treatment, and for religious reasons, they turn to mullahs and folk healers. We have encountered situations where parents took children with leukemia out of remission and switched them to alternative treatment methods. As a result, the disease progressed, and the children died," the doctors reported.
Following the monitoring, Ombudsman Jamila Jamambaeva sent recommendations to the Cabinet of Ministers, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Health, and the state enterprise "Kyrgyzpharmacy," proposing to address the identified violations.
She suggested developing a new strategy for the control and prevention of cancer diseases and approving a comprehensive plan to combat oncology for 2025–2030.
Additionally, Jamila Jamambaeva emphasized the need to address issues related to treatment refusal and to provide social and psychological support to families with cancer patients.
The Ombudsman also proposes to allocate funds in the republican budget for the technical maintenance of equipment and to revise the conditions for purchasing medications for cancer patients.
