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Kyrgyzstan

12 Sep 2016
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Kyrgyzstan has high rates of drug-resistant tuberculosis and many people have difficulty accessing care

Kyrgyzstan is a landlocked country located in Central Asia, on the ancient Silk Road route between China and Europe.

map_kyrgyzstan_2015.jpg

The country became independent in 1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union.

Ethnic Kyrgyz make up the majority of the country's 5.6 million population, most being Turkic-speaking Muslims.

MSF first worked in Kyrgyzstan in 2005, provided healthcare for people who would otherwise go without.

[[Country-Facts]]

MSF’s work in Kyrgyzstan: 2015

Kyrgyzstan has high rates of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) and yet many people have difficulty accessing care, particularly in rural areas.

Initial hospitalisation of TB patients is standard practice in the country, but since starting work in Kara-Suu district in Osh province MSF has focused on providing outpatient care to limit the amount of time a patient spends in hospital.

This reduces their risk of contracting an infection while in hospital, and improves their adherence to the long and arduous treatment regimen. [[Article-CTA]]

Comprehensive TB care

MSF is providing comprehensive DR-TB services in Kara-Suu district, and these include early detection, enrolment onto the treatment programme, monthly medical consultations for patients, and social and psychological support. Teams work in three TB clinics in Kara-Suu district, providing drugs and laboratory items and mentoring Ministry of Health staff.

MSF continues to support the diagnosis and treatment of patients with DR-TB in the Kara-Suu hospital, which has a separate ward for those infected. The team also assists with the management of the hospital’s waste, and with infection control.

Teams also carry out around 20 home visits per month for patients who are unable to reach the TB clinics, providing them with their treatment as well as psychological support.

Within the framework of the endTB project, MSF is planning to introduce two new DR-TB drugs, bedaquiline and delamanid, in Kyrgyzstan in 2016. Treatment regimens will be shorter and patients will not have to endure injections.

In 2015, there were 127 DR-TB patients enrolled in MSF’s treatment programme.

Find out more in our 2015 International Activity Report

130
patients under treatment for MDR-TB in 2015
84
MSF staff in 2015
8.1m AED
expenditure in 2015