In the village of Tugyl, Tarbagatai district, East Kazakhstan region, residents are forced to seek medical help in neighbouring settlements due to the outdated infrastructure of the only hospital.
According to Kazinform MIA, as a result, of the more than 10,000 people who previously lived in the village, only about 4,000 residents remain. A local resident, Yerkin Oraluly, spoke about the state of the sole medical facility.
"People constantly talk about this. But the issue has still not been resolved. The hospital's material and technical base is poor, and the number of staff has been reduced," said Oraluly.
Meanwhile, villagers reported that the hospital was built back in 1979 and was commissioned in 1981.
"Children were examined separately, women separately. There was a separate maternity ward, and emergency operations were also performed. But during the stagnation years, all of this closed down. Now the village has two schools and a fire station. Eight small fish processing workshops, a village club, and two kindergartens are operating. Life in the village continues. One of the problems is the hospital, which hasn't had major repairs for a long time. It looks decent from the outside because it was originally built well. But over 50 years, the interior has deteriorated. Sometimes the roof leaks, and the furniture is old," says village resident Nazipa Keshubayeva.
In turn, the head of the East Kazakhstan Region Health Department, Ainash Kapanova, commented on the villagers' complaints.
"Current repairs were carried out in 2014. At one time, there were many residents in the village of Tugyl. Accordingly, the staffing level was approved. As the population decreased, so did the staff. Still, according to current regulations, the hospital is short one general practitioner. This issue will be resolved soon. Another doctor will be coming to the village shortly," said Kapanova.
According to her, in 2017, the doors, windows, and boiler room of the medical outpatient facility were replaced.
Following a positive conclusion from the state expert review, the health department is expected to submit documents to the Department of Economics and Budget Planning for the allocation of funds for major repairs. At the same time, it is still unknown whether money will be allocated for the hospital's renovation.
Recall that in April it was reported that in the Glubokoye district of East Kazakhstan region, the foundation of the district hospital building, constructed 10 years ago, had begun to settle, and cracks had appeared in the walls.