06.03.2025

As far back as two years ago expectant mothers in Kazakhstan who faced serious intrauterine pathologies of the fetus had no hope for medical care. Or they had to seek for millions to travel abroad for intrauterine operations. Today, the situation has changed dramatically. Fetal medicine in the country develops rapidly, and the most complex operations are now performed in Astana and Almaty for saving the lives and health of babies.

This happened to Yryszhan who expected twins. At the 24^th week of pregnancy, she was diagnosed with feto-fetal transfusion syndrome, a rare vascular anomaly that threatened the lives of her twins. This diagnosis could have been a tragic sentence, but thanks to fetal surgery, the babies were born healthy at the Center for Perinatology and Pediatric Cardiac Surgery in Almaty.

Revolution in Kazakh Medicine

Fetal medicine in Kazakhstan began active development in 2023. The Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan, together with AYALA Charity Foundation, organized training for doctors and opened two specialized fetal medicine departments in Almaty and Astana.

«For many years AYALA Foundation helps the state to reduce the level of disability from birth. We believed that fetal surgery would help to do that and our country needed it. Therefore, we used our long experience in improving qualifications of doctors to organize training for a group of fetal surgeons by the best foreign practitioners. Today, Kazakh fetal surgeons independently perform the most complex operations that save the lives and health of babies while they are growing inside their mothers,» Aidan Suleimenova, the Founder and President of AYALA Charity Foundation, says.

Success Backed by Technologies and People

In summer 2024, the first intrauterine surgery operations were performed in Kazakhstan with participation of international experts. Now Kazakh doctors perform them successfully on their own. Over the year of Fetal Surgery project, 35 operations were performed in the country, thanks to which 32 newborns have been saved. In the near future, this number will increase to 150 operations per year.

However, in order to detect fetal pathologies in time, it is important not only to perform operations, but also to improve diagnostics. AYALA Foundation, with the support of Chevron, helps to improve the skills of ultrasound specialists and obstetricians and gynecologists.

«Early diagnosis of fetal pathologies is a key factor in successful treatment of fetal pathologies by fetal surgeons. The earlier the problem is identified, the more chances to save the child’s life by carrying out necessary intrauterine correction. We are happy to help with this by supporting educational projects of AYALA Foundation for Kazakhstani doctors,» Zhanar Koshpanova, Chevron Social Investment Coordinator, notes.

Access to Medicine for Every Woman

Modern technologies for early diagnosis of fetal malformations become more accurate as well as more accessible in Kazakhstan every year. One Day Clinic project implemented by the Ministry of Health in 15 regions of the country with a high birth rate helps to detect genetic pathologies of the fetus in the early stages. In Almaty, thanks to the support of AYALA Charity Foundation and Chevron, such clinic has already accepted 3.2 thousand women and identified 151 pregnancies with a high risk of congenital pathologies. Throughout the country, 30 thousand expectant mothers underwent in-depth genetic diagnostics with the expenses covered by Compulsory Social Health Insurance.

All these initiatives work towards the main goal – to ensure that every family in Kazakhstan has healthy children. Fetal surgery and advanced diagnostics make it possible to save the lives and health of future children where medicine was powerless earlier. And this is a real breakthrough that gives thousands of women hope to take a healthy newborn in their arms.