About 13,000 people die of cancer every year in Kazakhstan. The rate of cancer mortality in the country has been reduced by only 33 percent over the last 20 years, according to the Kazakh Health Ministry. The situation can be improved by the implementation of a Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan designed for 2023-2025, the relevant ministry notes. The Plan is aimed to decrease the mortality rate from cancer by 65 percent per 100,000 people. There are also plans to reduce advanced stages of the disease by 10 percent and focus on determining an early diagnosis of the disease as well as purchase medicines and equipment. Modern oncology centers are to be built in the Almaty, Atyrau, Ulytau, Zhetisu, and Aktobe regions. Central Asia’s first proton beam therapy center is also under construction in Astana. It is scheduled to be commissioned next year.
“Now the construction of the proton accelerator bunker is nearing completion. Then it is planned to install the device, as well as check its operability and safety. Besides, work on training specialists is currently underway. It bears noting that since last year, professionals have been trained in Israel, Germany, and the Netherlands. These are specialties that were not available in our country before. It includes such rare experts as radiation therapists, medical physicists, and chemists,” said Azhar Giniyat, Kazakh Health Minister.
