Locations
At the laboratory in Osh
Bishkek, 7 April 2025 – On 7 April, the National Center for Phthisiology, Osh Oblast TB Center with the support of UNDP and the German Society for International Cooperation opened a renovated building of the Osh inter-oblast reference laboratory. The modernized facility will enhance tuberculosis (TB) diagnostics and improve treatment effectiveness.
Accurate and timely TB diagnosis is essential for effective treatment. Only with drug susceptibility testing can doctors prescribe the most appropriate treatment regimen, ensuring full recovery for patients.
UNDP works closely with the Government of Kyrgyzstan to strengthen healthcare systems, ensuring that every person—regardless of location or socioeconomic status—has access to life-saving TB diagnosis and treatment. UNDP supports national efforts to expand diagnostic capacity, improve treatment outcomes, and reduce the burden of TB across the country. By investing in modern laboratory infrastructure, infection control, and capacity building, UNDP helps accelerate progress toward a TB-free Kyrgyzstan, leaving no one behind.
The National Center for Phthisiology continues to improve laboratory services across the country. According to the 2020 national TB assessment report, Kyrgyzstan’s National Reference Laboratory ranks among the top accredited laboratories in Central Asia.
“The updated laboratory will become a modern and reliable workspace for specialists and will contribute to the development of laboratory services and protection of public health,” said Gulmira Kalmambetova, deputy director of the National Center for Phthisiology.
Until 2019, Kyrgyzstan had two reference laboratories using advanced TB diagnostic methods. The National Reference Laboratory (NRL) oversaw mentoring, supervision, and quality control for labs nationwide, handling drug susceptibility tests primarily for northern regions. The Osh inter-oblast reference laboratory served Osh, Jalal-Abad, and Batken regions, conducting critical TB diagnostics. However, it was operating in a deteriorating building with inadequate working conditions. Despite having modern equipment, diagnostic quality was compromised. In 2019, the Osh laboratory had to scale down operations.
After extensive consultations and in support of the Tuberculosis-VI" programme of Cabinet of Ministers' UNDP in partnership with GIZ decided to carry out a full-scale renovation, capacity building of staff, and certification of equipment.
"Thanks to the National Tuberculosis Program’s leadership, every person in Kyrgyzstan now has access to high-quality, timely TB detection, diagnosis, and treatment. There are no systemic barriers preventing us from fighting and defeating TB. UNDP is proud to contribute to this mission," said Hedieh KhaneghahPanah, UNDP Programme Manager.
The Osh inter-oblast reference laboratory resumed operations in December 2024 and now provides essential TB diagnostics for Osh city, Osh, and Batken regions. The upgraded laboratory is expected to ease the workload of the NRL, allowing national specialists to focus on enhancing lab quality and external quality control for district-level laboratories.
The work was implemented under UNDP’s project "Effective Control of HIV and Tuberculosis in Kyrgyzstan", funded by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (GFATM), in partnership with GIZ.
