15.06.2022

An expert-class ultrasonograph was donated to Multidisciplinary Hospital No. 2 of the Akmola oblast for a project to reduce disability in Kazakhstan

NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan, June 15, 2022 – The free course on Selected Issues of Prenatal Diagnostics was organized by AYALA Charity Foundation with the financial support of Chevron. The training was the final stage of the project to equip Akmola Oblast Multidisciplinary Hospital No. 2 in the city of Nur-Sultan with an expert-class ultrasonograph and 8 cardiac monitors.

Providing expert-class ultrasonographs and training doctors in prenatal detection of congenital anomalies, deformations and chromosomal disorders is one of the main priorities for the Ministry of Healthcare of Kazakhstan in solving the issue of reducing childhood disability.

According to Zhanar Koshpanova, public relations coordinator for Chevron in Kazakhstan, ultrasonography equipment for prenatal screening, complete with cardiac monitors, and a specially designed skills improvement training program will allow doctors and future parents to obtain the most complete information about the health of the unborn baby. “We are convinced that accuracy and timeliness in prenatal diagnosis will help prevent the birth of children with severe defects that cannot be corrected by doctors and will make a significant contribution to the formation of the genetic health of future generations of our country,” added Koshpanova.

According to the RoK Ministry of Healthcare, as of January 1, 2022, in Kazakhstan the number of disabled children under 18 years of age having various diseases amounted to more than 98,000. For comparison, in 2010 this figure was almost half as much and amounted to 49,349 children. We observe an annual and rapid increase in the number of children with disabilities. Furthermore, two key reasons dominate: congenital anomalies and chromosomal abnormalities, as well as complications of pregnancy and childbirth. Therefore, improving prenatal diagnostics and preventing the birth of children with developmental defects is a priority direction of the Department of Mother and Child Health Protection under the RoK Ministry of Healthcare.

AYALA Charity Foundation has been working to reduce infant mortality and disability for 15 years in Kazakhstan. During this time, we donated more than 1,100 units of resuscitation equipment to perinatal centres and children’s hospitals. This year, we are focusing our efforts on purchasing diagnostic equipment that helps doctors accurately and timely identify various pathologies of intrauterine development, as well as conduct neonatal ophthalmological screening,” noted Aidan Suleimenova, president of AYALA CF. — At a meeting with the management of the Department of Mother and Child Health Protection of the RoK Ministry of Healthcare, we were convinced that our common priorities completely coincide. We are glad that our efforts to provide the country’s medical institutions with expert-class ultrasonographs and to train ultrasonographers in accurate prenatal diagnostics have found support from the Chevron. Together we can reverse this very dangerous trend and reduce infant disability in Kazakhstan.”

An expert-class unit HERA W10 manufactured by SAMSUNG, complete with 8 cardiac monitors was installed with the financial support of Chevron at the Akmola Oblast Multidisciplinary Hospital No. 2 in Nur-Sultan. To ensure sustainable development of this project, AYALA Foundation developed a special course on Selected Issues of Prenatal Diagnostics, which was completed in a combined format (online and offline) by 20 ultrasonographers from all over Kazakhstan, recommended by the RoK Ministry of Healthcare.

The online training included lectures, tasks on an online simulator, homework and mandatory final testing at the end. Offline training took place in the hospital itself on the basis of an installed ultrasonograph. Together with an experienced trainer, a practicing ultrasonographer of the highest category, doctors from Kazakhstan hospitals were able to examine pregnant patients with ultrasound, practice making diagnoses and identifying intrauterine congenital anomalies, deformations and chromosomal disorders.

All doctors have received a certificate of skills improvement training, but the main thing is knowledge and practical skills that will help them in the prevention of congenital and hereditary diseases in children.

Since 2010, Chevron has been supporting the professional development of Kazakhstani doctors. With the company’s support, more than 1,000 doctors received free training in the latest methods of caring for newborns. Among them are 647 doctors who registered for training in 3 free courses of AYALA Online Academy platform. Currently, 4 more courses for Kazakhstani doctors and nurses are developed.