Kyrgyz-Swiss-Swedish Health Project (KYSS)

Following the economic decline after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Kyrgyzstan was unable to maintain the health infrastructure inherited from the Soviet times. The budget allocated to the health sector kept decreasing; the quality and availability of  the health services declined, particularly in rural areas, where more than 60 % of the country's population lives. Poverty-linked diseases, such as anaemia, tuberculosis and brucellosis, began to re-emerge.

In 1996 the Kyrgyz government with the help of international donors launched the MANAS national health care reform programme. Its key elements included the development of a national health sector policy, new financing mechanism, rationalisation of services, and strengthening of primary health care. In 2005 a new phase of the reform called Manas Taalimi was formulated and adopted for the years 2006-2010. The current goal of the reform is to improve the health of the population with a strong emphasis on health promotion.

In 1999 the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) started to support other donors in the health sector through the Kyrgyz-Swiss Health Reform Support Project. Initially, the geographic focus of the project was on Naryn oblast which is the largest and poorest in Kyrgyzstan. A qualitative assessment of people's health priorities revealed brucellosis, anaemia, hypertension, cold/influenza, reproductive tract infections (RTI), and dental diseases as the most prevalent. Nutrition, clean drinking water, hygiene and access to drugs were identified as  the most important health needs in Naryn oblast.

Communities analyze their health priorities and elect representatives to health committees to coordinate action on these priorities. Campaigns launched so far on the priorities selected by the communities are: promoting iodized salt, brucellosis prevention, promoting vegetable gardening, reducing alcohol abuse and access to treatment of reproductive tract infections. For example, the iodized salt promotion campaign enabled communities to check the salt sold in their villages with simple test kits. It achieved a coverage of  98 % of iodized salt in households.

Currently health campaigns are being developed to address cardiovascular diseases, anaemia, hypertension and tobacco consumption.

Using small grants in combination with their own contributions communities under the leadership of village health committees have built or repaired bath houses, drinking water systems, first aid posts or purchased ambulances. Over 100 such projects have been completed or are in progress in Naryn and Talas.

In 2004-2005 Community Action for Health was extended throughout Naryn and Talas oblasts with 213 village health committees already functioning in 2006.

The success of this health promotion model convinced the Ministry of Health to endorse it as part of the National Health Reform and ask for it to be extended in rural areas nationwide. Two other donors agreed to support this extension. USAID (through the ZdravPlus project) implements Community Action for Health in Issyk Kul and Jalal-Abad oblasts, with the technical expertise of the Swiss Red Cross. In 2006, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) decided to contribute to the extension of the model throughout the remaining oblasts of Batken, Osh and Chui oblasts from 2006 on. Sida and SDC agreed to delegated implementation under which Sida entrusts SDC to implement the extension through its existing set-up from 2006 onwards. With Sida’s contribution the project has been renamed the Kyrgyz-Swiss-Swedish Health Project (KYSS).  Through extending the Community Action for Health the population covered by the project will increase from 370 000 people in Naryn and Talas to 2.13 million in all five oblasts.

Improvement of Health Infrastructure

Source: http://www.swisscoop.tj