20.05.2026

The Regional Perinatal Centre of the Zhetysu Region has received a set of modern neonatal intensive care equipment to support the treatment and survival of newborns. The project was implemented by the AYALA Charity Foundation as part of the national “Breathing Life” programme.

Today, the Regional Perinatal Centre of the Zhetysu Region serves as a key medical institution for the area, providing care to the population of two cities and 104 rural settlements, with a total population exceeding 680,000 people. Approximately 6,000 deliveries take place here annually, including the most complex cases referred from surrounding districts as well as from the cities of Taldykorgan and Tekeli. Pregnant women and newborns requiring emergency care are transferred to the centre via air ambulance services.

“Following the establishment of the Zhetysu Region, our centre faced a serious shortage of equipment in the neonatal intensive care unit. At one point, we even ranked among the regions with the highest neonatal mortality rates. Today, thanks to the efforts of the Ministry of Healthcare, the situation is gradually improving. We would also like to express our sincere gratitude to the AYALA Foundation for the prompt provision of this much-needed equipment. Our key priority in the further development of neonatal care in the region is the preservation of every child’s life. We are confident that with this support, we will significantly improve the quality of medical care in our centre this year,” said Nazgul Imangalieva, Director of the Regional Perinatal Centre in Taldykorgan.

As part of the project, the neonatal intensive care unit received 15 pieces of medical equipment with a total value exceeding KZT 49.2 million, including two mechanical ventilators, two incubators, a neonatal resuscitation table, a patient monitor, phototherapy lamps, as well as syringe and suction pumps.

“In September 2025, we took the first step towards reducing early neonatal mortality in the Zhetysu Region by equipping the neonatal intensive care unit of the Panfilov District maternity hospital. Within just six months, dozens of children’s lives were saved there, while hundreds of newborns avoided severe complications thanks to timely phototherapy treatment. We clearly see how equipping neonatal intensive care units immediately improves the quality of medical care after the equipment is delivered. We are deeply grateful to our partners — the Mamma Mia restaurant chain and a private donor — for supporting this important project,” noted Aidan Suleimenova, Founder and President of the AYALA Charity Foundation.

Previously, between 2021 and 2023, the AYALA Charity Foundation had already equipped the Regional Perinatal Centre in Taldykorgan with fetal monitors, phototherapy lamps and a therapeutic hypothermia device.

The AYALA Foundation has been implementing the “Breathing Life” project since 2007. Its goal is to reduce neonatal mortality and disability among newborns by equipping state perinatal centres with modern medical equipment for neonatal intensive care and the treatment of premature and medically fragile infants. Over this period, the Foundation has supplied more than 1,600 units of medical equipment to public maternity hospitals and perinatal centres across Kazakhstan.

“Over recent years, Kazakhstan has achieved a significant reduction in infant and neonatal mortality rates. While in 2008 the infant mortality rate stood at 20 deaths per 1,000 live births, by the end of 2025 it had decreased to 3.8 — the lowest rate in Central Asia. Today, the country is successfully caring for infants born with extremely low birth weight, starting from as little as 500 grams. It is therefore extremely important that charitable organisations such as the AYALA Foundation contribute to the development of neonatal care by helping medical institutions gain timely access to life-saving equipment,” said Bekturgan Karin, Chief Freelance Neonatologist of the Ministry of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan.