Kyrgyzstan is among the countries with the highest prevalence of cervical and breast cancers in the world. In June 2022, in partnership with the Ministry of Health, we launched a women’s health project in Sokuluk district, close to the capital, Bishkek, where we worked to decentralise cancer prevention by integrating screening services into general healthcare facilities. Our teams trained nurses and midwives to carry out tasks such as visual cervical inspection and breast examination.

The project aimed to establish a sustainable early detection and treatment programme for cervical and breast cancers, and promote its implementation countrywide. Our teams were also involved in conducting training on basic screening for nurses in public health facilities across all the districts of Chuy oblast (province).

Thanks to collective advocacy efforts supported by our team, basic screening training was incorporated into the national curriculum for medical colleges and postgraduate medical education in Bishkek and Osh in October 2024. During the year, our medical teams also conducted an operational research project on the prevalence of human papillomavirus, and presented their findings to about 100 different partner organisations in November.  

After completing our objectives, we closed the project at the end of December.  

Pursuant to our planetary health strategic commitment, we continued to run the ‘eco-village’ we set up with local partners in Sokuluk in March 2023. This initiative allows people to drop off their recyclable waste in exchange for basic household goods. In addition, we supported hospitals’ efforts to segregate medical waste by building a dedicated storage area, and provided training on medical waste disposal.