WHO has provided essential laboratory equipment worth more than US$ 92 000 to the Ministry of Health of Kyrgyzstan to enhance the country’s communicable disease surveillance and laboratory capabilities. This contribution aims to bolster Kyrgyzstan’s ability to detect, prevent and respond to infectious disease outbreaks effectively. The handover ceremony took place on 27 March.
The laboratory equipment has been distributed to 3 health organizations: the National Institute of Public Health, the Center for State Sanitary and Epidemiological Surveillance in Bishkek, and the Osh City Center for Disease Prevention and State Sanitary and Epidemiological Surveillance.
In the near future, equipment will also be delivered to the Republican Center for the Prevention and Control of Quarantine and Especially Dangerous Infectious in Bishkek.
The directors of the health organizations that received the laboratory equipment expressed their gratitude to WHO. One of the directors stated, “With this new equipment, our laboratories are now better prepared to safeguard public health and quickly respond to potential outbreaks. We deeply appreciate WHO’s ongoing support and partnership.”
A long-term investment
The equipment package includes laminar biosafety cabinets for microbiological safety; refrigerators and freezers for storage of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, bacteriological and polymerase chain reaction tests; steam sterilizers; and more. The newly donated equipment will support laboratory diagnostics for a wide range of infectious diseases, including measles, viral hepatitis and high-threat pathogens.
The procurement of laboratory equipment became possible within the framework of the implementation of the Pandemic Fund’s regional project “One Health.” This initiative aligns with global efforts to strengthen health security and pandemic preparedness.
Dr Liviu Vedrasco, WHO Representative to Kyrgyzstan, emphasized the significance of this initiative: “This is a long-term investment in Kyrgyzstan’s health system. This provides increased capacity for public health laboratories to diagnose and respond to outbreaks in a timely manner.”
WHO remains committed to supporting Kyrgyzstan’s health system by providing technical assistance and strengthening laboratory capacities to improve preparedness and response to health emergencies.