Continued Free Organ Transplant Program in Kyrgyzstan in 2025
The National Center for Maternal and Child Welfare in Kyrgyzstan has recently conducted five free kidney transplant surgeries since the start of 2025. This information was provided by the Ministry of Health of Kyrgyzstan to the 24.kg news agency.
Mirbek Baizakov, the Head of the Transplantology Department, emphasized that doctors at the center only perform surgeries upon request and do not pressure anyone. He mentioned that there is currently funding available for these procedures and that there have been no changes in this aspect.
In 2024, a total of 22 kidney transplants from related donors were carried out free of charge, as per the oral decision of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic. Approximately 20 million soms were allocated from the national budget for these operations.
Currently, there are 128 patients on the waiting list for kidney transplants at the National Center for Maternal and Child Welfare. The Ministry of Health mentioned that a thorough outpatient examination process is conducted in collaboration with local clinics and nephrologists before adding the donor-recipient pairs to the transplant waiting list.
The outpatient examination process, which involves laboratory tests at private facilities, is covered under the state guarantee program. On average, the total cost of this examination can reach 150,000 soms per pair, and the patients bear these expenses.
Since 2018, a total of 65 kidney transplants have been carried out at the center. The recent increase in surgeries is attributed to a new strategy for the development of transplantology and the shift to budget financing. Most donors at the center are between 30 and 40 years old.
Last year, the Cabinet of Ministers allocated funds for 50 free kidney transplants for patients undergoing dialysis. The Ministry of Health estimates that each patient can save up to 714,000 soms in subsequent years following a successful kidney transplant. At that time, there were more than 2,600 individuals on dialysis awaiting transplant surgeries.
