Kazakhstan to get 5 regional high-tech radiation oncology centers

5 regional high-tech radiation oncology centers will open in Kazakhstan, Tengrinews.kz reports citing Kazakhstan Healthcare Minister Salidat Kairbekova. “Creation of the new scientific center in Astana will allow to principally change the approach to treatment of oncology patients, implement personalized approach and high-tech scientific and practical work in testing of innovations and their subsequent implementation. Besides, 5 regional high-tech radiation oncology centers will be created in the existing oncology centers in Almaty, Semey, Karaganda, Aktobe and Astana. Modernization of the material and technical bases will enable the doctors to employ highly-sensitive diagnostics methods and offer highly-specialized treatment to residents of these regions,” Kairbekova said. According to the Minister, Salamatty Kazakhstan Program (Healthcare Program) provides for maximum use of the existing facilities While new technologies will be smoothly implemented in the day-to-day activities of the in-patient hospitals of the National Medical holding and inter-oblast oncological centers. Kaibekova said that radical treatment of cancer patients is only possible at early stages and in combination with high-tech treatment methods like proton therapy, radionuclide therapy, external-beam radiotherapy, conformal and inter-operational beam therapy, biotransplantation of organs and tissues, as well as low-invasive surgery. All these methods will be implemented in these centers. Besides, the plan is to build two consultative-diagnostics departments in the existing oncology clinics in Akmola and Kostanay oblasts, a surgery block in the oncological clinics in Pavlodar, Kyzylorda and Zhambyl oblasts. Construction of an oncological center in Mangistau oblast has been completed, as connection of the second floor of the radiology department of North-Kazakhstan Oblast's oncological center with a passage to the surgery block. Kazakhstan’s oncology services are currently rendered at 19 specialized oncology clinics and Kazakh Scientific Research Institute of Oncology and Radiology in Almaty. Over 30 thousand new cases of oncological diseases are discovered in Kazakhstan annually, only 47.2 percent of them are at early stage. There are 144 thousand registered oncology patients in Kazakhstan, while the demographic forecasts on further increase of the life expectancy will inevitably be accompanied with an crease of the number of cancer case in future. World’s annual growth of the number of people with oncological diseases makes 5 percent. Five-year survival rate of people with cancer in Kazakhstan is 51 percent, while it is 60 percent in developed countries. Almost 11 billion tenge ($73 million) have been set aside for the program of development of oncological aide in 2012-2016, including implementation of a pilot project on prostate cancer screening in East-Kazakhstan oblast, performance of immunology researches, provision of medicines for treatment of patients with malignant neoplasm and opening of 19 centers of outpatient chemotherapy in regional oncological clinics. By Aidana Ussupova