30/08/2025
President Sadyr Japarov has signed a decree "On the establishment of a state monopoly on training of medical professionals" in Kyrgyzstan.
Thede decree emphasizes that the development of education in Kyrgyzstan is one of the top priorities of state policy.
"Modernizing the system for training personnel in the field of medicine is of particular importance, as the quality of medical education directly determines the effectiveness of the national healthcare system, the accessibility and the level of medical services available to citizens."
The decree is aimed at a comprehensive renovation of the system for training medical and pharmaceutical personnel ensuring their retraining and professional development, conducting complex scientific research on priority healthcare issues, effectively using the resources of educational institutions and strengthening their material and technical base.
In recent years, there has been a rapid increase in the number of private medical educational institutions that have obtained licenses to operate in the field of education.
However, most of these institutions lack the necessary clinical infrastructure, their teaching staff do not meet qualification standards, and the educational process is often reduced to the formal issuance of diplomas with minimal practical training.
"As a result, hundreds of specialists graduate annually with a low level of knowledge and practical skills undermining trust in the medical education system and damaging the international reputation of Kyrgyz diplomas."
This situation has led to a systemic crisis in the training of medical personnel, worsened the shortage of qualified staff in the national healthcare system, and created risks to national security, including illegal migration and the unauthorized employment of foreign students, the decree states.
The president's decree provides for the following measures:
Establishment of a state monopoly on training of medical professionals granting the I.K. Akhunbaev Kyrgyz State Medical Academy (hereafter referred to as the Medical Academy) the exclusive right to provide higher medical and pharmaceutical education, as well as retraining and professional development of medical and scientific personnel.
Approval of state accreditation for higher medical educational institutions.
Implementation of a unified national educational standard for medical specialties.
Ensuring close integration of educational progress with clinical practice in state medical institutions.
Minimizing corruption risks and improving transparency in the medical education system.
Formation of an interdepartmental commission with representatives from state agencies to assess whether private medical universities meet licensing, accreditation and qualification requirements, including teaching staff qualifications, availability and condition of clinical facilities, and educational and technical infrastructure.
Instructions to the Cabinet of Ministers:
By January 1, 2026: Develop and approve unified state educational standards for medical and pharmaceutical specialties.
By March 1, 2026: Develop and approve the state accreditation procedure for medical universities.
Instructions to the Ministry of Health to conduct state accreditation of private medical universities by June 1, 2026.
Thus, private medical universities will retain the right to operate until they undergo state accreditation.
Medical universities that successfully pass accreditation may later be transformed into branches or structural units of the I.K. Akhunbaev Kyrgyz State Medical Academy under its full academic and methodological supervision.
Meanwhile, private educational institutions that do not pass state accreditation will only be allowed to operate as pre-university preparatory courses or training-clinical bases, also under the academic and methodological control of the Medical Academy.
