Palliative Care in Kyrgyzstan

Abstract

There is a growing awareness of the need for improved end-of-life care around the globe. Kyrgyzstan, the second poorest country in Central Asia, is poised to begin palliative care initiatives, despite facing inadequate health care funding, lack of education about palliative care, and limited availability of necessary medications. With the combined efforts of clinicians and educators, along with support from governmental and nongovernmental agencies, a national program for palliative care is in development, and nursing is playing a leading role. The strategy to integrate palliative care includes 3 pillars: building clinical services, coordinating efforts to increase the availability of necessary drugs, and developing educational programs. As part of a coordinated educational program for nurses and physicians, several courses have been presented based on the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium curriculum. Health care professionals, educators, and representatives of government and nongovernmental organizations have participated in these courses. The Minister of Health has subsequently approved a curriculum based on End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium for students in the college of nursing and postgraduate continuing education. The barriers faced and these educational efforts will be described as they are an essential part of a comprehensive strategy to improve the quality of life for people within this country. KEY WORDSELNEC, Kyrgyzstan, nursing, palliative care T here is a growing awareness of the need for improved end-of-life care around the globe. 1 The developed world is making progress in these efforts, but the developing world is just beginning to produce these programs. 2 Challenges in all parts of the globe include inadequate health care funding, lack of awareness and education about palliative care, limited availability of necessary medications, and other barriers. 3-5 Kyrgyzstan, a developing country in Central Asia, is poised to begin palliative care initiatives, despite facing many of these obstacles and others. 6 These efforts are desperately needed to improve the quality of life for people within this country, and nursing will have an important role in advancing care for those with life-limiting illness.Kyrgyzstan has a total population of almost 5.5 million people. 7 The median age is quite young at 25.2 years, with less than 6% of people living beyond 65 years of age. This low average life expectancy of 69.4 years (men, 65.4 years; women, 73.6 years) is in part due to a high percentage of people living below the poverty level (40%), a high prevalence of smoking (almost 50% of men smoke), and other factors. Cardiovascular disease makes up the main cause of mortality (49%), followed by cancer (9.1%), respiratory disease (8.4%), and other causes. Among men, the most common cancers are gastric, lung, colon, and liver; among women, the most common cancers are breast, cervix, stomach, and colon. In addition to cardiovascular disease and cancer, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS make up common life-threa...

Nursing Home as a Hospital for Medical-Social Service of Elderly People in Kyrgyz Republic

“…До настоящего переименования данное учреждение назывался как «дом для престарелых». В методологию исследования положен комплексный подход изучения деятельности данного учреждения, которая включала нормативно-правовую и отчетную документацию [5][6].…”

Translating Knowledge Into Clinical Practice

“…The need for palliative care education in these regions is particularly acute. [12][13][14][15][16][17] It is estimated that, by 2060, 48 million people will die each year with serious illness, and 83% of these deaths will occur in low-or middle-income countries, which includes the CEE/CA region. These deaths will be associated with unnecessary suffering unless there is an expansion of palliative care services.…”

“…The need for palliative care education in these regions is particularly acute 12-17 . It is estimated that, by 2060, 48 million people will die each year with serious illness, and 83% of these deaths will occur in low- or middle-income countries, which includes the CEE/CA region.…”