20.09.2023

In Kazakhstan, the total number of newborns with identified retinopathy in 2022 was 1,523 children; ophthalmologists performed retinal laser coagulation operations on 597 children, which is 34% higher than in 2021. According to medics, this is a fairly high indicator compared to the world data, where the number of surgical interventions in the treatment of retinopathy of prematurity does not exceed 25 percent. The growth of the indicator speaks about an increase in the number of children with fulminant forms of retinopathy in our country.

According to doctors’ data, in Kazakhstan, about 40% of babies born prematurely suffer from retinopathy, an eye disease that leads to irreversible loss of vision in premature newborns. To save them from complete blindness, a complex diagnostics as early as possible and then equally complex laser surgeries are required.

Every year more than 30 thousand children are born in the capital, of whom almost 1.5 thousand are premature newborns. Screening of premature newborns to identify retinopathy is carried out in four medical Centres in Astana: three Perinatal Centres and the National Research Centre for Motherhood and Childhood. Only these institutions employ the ophthalmologists who are able to recognize and treat this insidious eye disease by the earliest signs.

Thanks to the assistance from AYALA Foundation, the diagnosis and treatment of retinopathy of prematurity at the National Research Centre for Motherhood and Childhood (NRCMC) is improving. Today, the ophthalmological service of this medical centre received a modern retinal camera manufactured in the USA from Chevron. Doctors are able to identify and treat such a complex eye disease in premature newborns more efficiently and quickly now, as they have a full set of essential ophthalmological equipment: a retinal camera, an ophthalmoscope and a laser surgical unit.

“Just a couple of years ago, the provision of Perinatal and Research Centres of Kazakhstan with equipment for early screening of retinopathy in premature babies suffered from very serious shortcomings, as it was only available in 4 centres. Thanks to the efforts of our Foundation, 16 medical institutions in the country have already been equipped with it, including the National Research Centre for Motherhood and Childhood. This helped increase the coverage of newborns with ophthalmological screening in Kazakhstan by almost 12%, increase the detection of retinopathy in premature babies by 20%, and conduct a third more operations for laser coagulation of the retina for retinopathy. We heartily thank our project partner, Chevron, for their help in reducing visual disability in newborn children. This is a very important and valuable contribution to the health of the nation,” noted Aidan Suleimenova, founder and president of AYALA Charity Foundation.

The project on Retinopathy of Prematurity was started in October 2021 and is being implemented by AYALA Charity Foundation in accordance with the Memorandum of Cooperation signed with the Ministry of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan. As part of this memorandum, the Foundation has also contributed to the approval by the Ministry of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan of the Clinical Protocol for the intravitreal administration of angiogenesis inhibitors for the treatment of the fulminant form of retinopathy of prematurity.

For 1.5 years of project implementation, AYALA Foundation has raised and allocated more than 248 million tenge for the purchase and donation of diagnostic and surgical medical equipment, including 5 laser units, 5 retinal cameras, 16 ophthalmoscopes, as well as 84 vials of Lucentis to the state Research and Perinatal Centres in Kazakhstan. This helped to more than 3,000 newborn children have eye examinations using the Foundation’s equipment.

According to a Chevron representative Zhanar Koshpanova, social investment coordinator, Chevron has been cooperating with AYALA Foundation since 2007. “During this time, we have implemented dozens of projects on reduction of infant mortality and prevention of early disability. AYALA Foundation was one of the first in Kazakhstan to begin work on early detection and timely treatment of neonatal retinopathy. Owing to the integrated and systematic work carried out by the Foundation since 2021, indicators for childhood visual disability and childhood blindness have been significantly reduced. We hope that the set of ophthalmological equipment that we are donating today to the National Centre for Motherhood and Childhood will give children an opportunity to see the world in all its colors,” noted Ms. Koshpanova.

Support for perinatology and neonatology is one of the strategic areas of Chevron’s social investments in the field of healthcare. Since the beginning of its work in Kazakhstan in 1993, Chevron has donated hundreds of units of specialized equipment to perinatal and neonatal departments and centres in the cities of Almaty and Astana; dozens of skills improvement courses have been conducted for doctors and nursing staff from all regions of our country. Also, with the support of Chevron, the online AYALA Academy platform was created, through the use of which neonatologists and nursing staff can improve their skills on the job. In the fall of 2023, Chevron will post free video courses from the leading ophthalmologist of Kazakhstan -Assel Usenbayevna Sharipova- on this platform. The courses will help Kazakhstan’s ophthalmologists gain the theoretical basis for diagnosing and identifying various eye diseases in newborns, including retinopathy. In 2022, under the management of the Kazakh Research Institute of Eye Diseases and Assel Usenbayevna Sharipova, a total of 12 ophthalmologists have been trained to be proficient in diagnosing retinopathy now. Their knowledge and the availability of modern diagnostic and laser surgical equipment will help save the vision of thousands of newborn children in Kazakhstan in the next 5 years.

According to Magripa Yembergenova, Director of the Department of Maternal and Child Health of the Ministry of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan, owing to foundations’ funding the issue of retinopathy has been successfully solved in Kazakhstan.

“When faced with the need to cover all children with screenings, we had become aware that there was not enough equipment. Thanks to the joint efforts of AYALA Charity Foundation and Kazakhstan Khalkyna Fund, all the needs for ophthalmoscopes received from requests of the regions have been successfully covered. This is a significant achievement for the country and indicates serious work to improve healthcare and support vision among the population. Hopefully, implementation of screening and early detection of pathologies will allow us to ensure timely diagnosis and subsequent treatment. Children have laser correction of vision, where required and indicated. It is held locally in Astana, Almaty and other seven regions of our country,” summarized a representative of the Ministry of Healthcare.»