21.02.2025

All conditions have been created for complex intrauterine operations at the UMC Mother and Child Center – the doctors have been trained and the Department of Fetal Medicine has been equipped. With the support of the GASENERGY Gas Station network, modern laser equipment was installed there and a set of fetoscopes was provided. With the assistance of Chevron, a training program for doctors from all over Kazakhstan has been launched, which allows them to study the principles of fetal surgery in depth and refer patients to surgery in a timely manner. The project was implemented by AYALA Charity Foundation within the framework of the Memorandum of Cooperation with UMC that is aimed at development of fetal surgery in Kazakhstan.

«For us, the Kazakh network of gas stations, social projects aimed at protection of health of children from birth are of high importance. That’s why, we take an active part in development of fetal surgery in the capital. Earlier, in 2023, together with AYALA Foundation, we equipped the UMC Department of Neonatal Ophthalmology with a laser that helped doctors save 303 newborn babies from blindness. We hope that our new project will be successful, too, and will bring joy of giving birth to healthy children in many families,» Omar Mustafin, COO of the GASENERGY Gas Station network, said.  

«We have been cooperating with AYALA Foundation for many years and are proud of the results achieved. By investing in advanced medical technologies and comprehensive training programs for doctors, we strive to improve quality of fetal surgery in Kazakhstan. This project is a significant step forward in providing critical assistance at the local level as it provides families with access to the best medical services without the need to seek medical treatment abroad,» Leila Aitmukhanova, Social Investment Advisor at Chevron Eurasia, said.

Fetal surgery is a relatively new area of surgery active development of which in our country began with the support of AYALA Foundation in June last year. The Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan plans to divide the flow of patients between the two leading medical centers. In the capital, the UMC Mother and Child Center has become the main clinic for intrauterine surgical interventions.

«Development of fetal surgery in Kazakhstan is a significant step forward in protection the health of future generations. Thanks to the advanced technologies and advanced training provided to our specialists, we can provide high-tech medical care to expectant mothers and their children. Today, women in Kazakhstan have access to intrauterine surgery in two centers in our own country, which not only improves the quality of medical care, but also strengthens the citizens’ confidence in our healthcare system,» Magripa Embergenova, Director of the Department of Maternal and Child Health of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan, commented.

According to Massimo Pignatelli, Vice President for Medicine and Dean of the Nazarbayev University School of Medicine, the UMC Mother and Child Center has all opportunities for in-depth prenatal diagnostics and further management of expectant mothers. «The cytogenetic laboratory, ultrasound, MRI diagnostics, departments for monitoring and management of pregnant women, a specialized department of neonatal surgery – all these create excellent conditions for successful implementation of the fetal surgery project,» Mr. Pignatelli added.

Since 2024, AYALA Foundation provides active assistance in development of professional competencies of the fetal surgeons of the Center for Maternal and Child. The doctors of the clinic have been trained in the Russian center, where hundreds of the most complex intrauterine operations per year have been successfully performed since 2009. The Foundation has also arranged for participation of UMC Fetal Surgeon in the International Fetal Medicine Congress in the United Arab Emirates.

Today, the UMC hosts 45 ultrasound doctors and obstetrician-gynecologists from Almaty, Shymkent, Astana and all regional centers of Kazakhstan. They complete a two-day lecture course «Complications of monochorionic multiple pregnancy» provided by Kirill Vitalyevich Kostyukov, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Head of the Department of Ultrasound and Functional Diagnostics of the National Medical Research Center for Obstetrics, Gynecology and Perinatology named after Academician V.I. Kulakov. The training is provided with the support of Chevron and organized by AYALA Charity Foundation as part of the AYALA Academy project for development of doctors’ competence.

«What does every expectant mother dream of? Of course, she dreams about a healthy child. To make this dream come true, we invite leading foreign practitioners to improve knowledge and skills of our domestic doctors in expert-level diagnostics of the most complex fetal malformations. Ultrasound doctors and obstetricians-gynecologists are the first who can see that something is going wrong in the development of the fetus during screening examinations. And they can promptly refer women with complicated multiple pregnancies for intrauterine correction of the identified pathologies. Previously, in such cases, families had to seek millions of tenge to go abroad for surgery. With the development of fetal surgery in Kazakhstan, qualified surgical care can be obtained in Astana and Almaty. And this is really good news both for our healthcare system and for every family expecting a baby,» Aidan Suleimenova, Founder and President of AYALA Charity Foundation, commented.