Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye discuss key areas of healthcare cooperation

Kyrgyzstan's Minister of Health, Erkin Checheybaev, met with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Turkey to Kyrgyzstan, Mekin Mustafa Kemal Okem, to discuss key areas of bilateral cooperation in healthcare.

According to the ministry’s press service, particular attention was paid to resuming the sending of Kyrgyz patients to Turkish medical institutions for free treatment under the 2014 intergovernmental agreement between Kyrgyzstan and Turkey in the fields of health care and medical sciences, The Caspian Post reports citing Kyrgyz media.

The Kyrgyz side expressed readiness to work with Turkish counterparts to update the application mechanism, decision timelines, and quota allocation procedures to improve overall efficiency.

The meeting also focused on continuing collaboration in the field of organ transplantation. Both sides emphasized the importance of implementing the Cooperation Protocol on Transplantation, signed in November 2024, which outlines plans for surgeries to be performed at the Kyrgyz-Turkish Friendship Hospital.

In addition, the possibility of continuing the practice of attracting Turkish specialists to Osh region, where there is a high need for transplant care, was discussed. Minister Checheybaev expressed gratitude for Turkey’s previous assistance in establishing the Transplant Center at Osh State University, where 16 specialists currently work, all of whom were trained in Turkey.

«We highly value the strategic partnership between the Republic of Turkey and the Kyrgyz Republic in healthcare. All proposals from the Kyrgyz side will be carefully reviewed and forwarded to the relevant agencies in Ankara. I am confident that our cooperation will continue to develop in the spirit of friendship and brotherhood,» the Ambassador Mekin Mustafa Kemal Okem said.

«Partnership with Turkey plays an important role in strengthening Kyrgyzstan’s healthcare system. We sincerely appreciate the long-standing support in both sending citizens for treatment and developing transplant services,» Minister Erkin Checheybaev noted.