The Government of Switzerland through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) purchased the medical equipment for the emergency departments of hospitals, basic equipment and cars for the family medicine centers for the total amount of 800’000 CHF within the project “Health Facilities Autonomy” supported by the Ministry of Health of the Kyrgyz Republic.

“It is so important that our contribution within our health projects gets the strong support of local authorities and personnel of the health facilities. I am very impressed by the level of commitment of all stakeholders, in particular the family doctors, the nurses and the management of the health facilities and also by the support of local authorities” – said Véronique Hulmann, Ambassador of Switzerland to the Kyrgyz Republic.

The “Health Facilities Autonomy” project is a contribution to the national programme "Den Sooluk" which has been implemented since 2015.  The project aims to improve access of rural population to medical services and to enhance the effectiveness and quality of health care services by increasing the autonomy of health care organizations and optimizing referral systems. The project implements activities for efficient use of infrastructure, financial, personnel and logistical resources. During this trip, the Swiss Ambassador also inaugurated laundry facilities of four hospitals. This is part of another project on infection control.

Around 50 doctors and 250 nurses provide medical care to more than 190 thousand people in these three rayons. The new medical equipment will improve efficiency and quality of medical care for the local population as well as access to medical services.

Switzerland’s cooperation began after Kyrgyzstan became independent and joined the Swiss-led voting group at the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. This special relationship was one of the reasons Kyrgyzstan became one of the focal partners for Swiss Cooperation in Central Asia.

During 25 years Switzerland has provided more than CHF 350 million of financial, technical and humanitarian support to Kyrgyzstan in the sectors of health, public institutions, private sector, urban water supply, irrigation, local self-governance and civil society engagement.  Switzerland has also substantially supported the organization of successful parliamentary and local elections in 2015 and 2016 respectively.

“The Kyrgyz Republic is Central Asia’s only parliamentary democracy and since independence has undergone significant changes of its own history and development. The Swiss cooperation is proud to be a development partner and is committed to continue its support to the country. Our bilateral relations are based on values and principles such as solidarity, respect of human rights, and democracy, including the participation of civil society actors. Switzerland as a neutral country is always ready to support dialogue and to strive for peaceful solutions of conflicts. There are many similarities between our countries, and we will continue building our relations on our longstanding trust and friendship”, said the Ambassador of Switzerland to the Kyrgyz Republic, René Holenstein.

The Swiss Federal Dispatch on International Cooperation 2017-2020 reflects Switzerland’s continuing and strong commitment to the Kyrgyz Republic and Central Asia.