Bishkek - September 22, 2021 - Today in Orlovka, Kyrgyzstan, an inauguration ceremony of an ultrasonic diagnostics room was held, under the project "Stakeholder Engagement for Uranium Legacy Remediation in Central Asia" financed by the European Union. Mr Chancharov Baktybek, Mayor of Orlovka, Mr Nazarbek uulu Almazbek, Director of the Centre for General Medical Practice, Ms Anna Soltysik-Pavlik, European Union Delegation representative to the Kyrgyz Republic and Ms Lira Zholdubaeva, Climate Change Programme and Policy Analyst, took part in the opening ceremony.

The European Union representative in her welcoming speech presented the activities of the European Union in the Kyrgyz Republic. In particular, to address the legacy of uranium mining in Central Asia, the European Union has allocated €35 million for all Central Asian countries in view of the damaging impact of uranium sites on human health and the environment. The programme is jointly implemented with the EBRD and focuses on the remediation of uranium legacy sites where clean-up and reclamation work has been carried out in Mailu-Suu, Min-Kush and Shekaftar.

"The European Union has allocated almost EUR 2 million to the ongoing project, which is jointly implemented with the OSCE and UNDP, to achieve the objectives of the project. We are doubly pleased to be present at the opening of the ultrasound equipment today. Thanks to this equipment, we hope that the population will receive timely medical assistance." said Ms Soltysyk-Pavlik.

The timeliness of the ultrasound equipment has been emphasised by the city mayor. The city authorities, in their turn, are supporting the hospital in every possible way and the hospital has been thoroughly renovated.

The Chief Doctor noted that the pandemic had exposed problems in the health sector and for many years the population had to travel to the district centre for ultrasound diagnosis, "We are very pleased that we can now provide ultrasound diagnosis in Orlovka and there will be no need to travel to the nearest district center or to Tokmok. 

During the opening ceremony, guests were introduced to the ultrasound diagnostic room, the equipment for which was purchased through a small grant from the NGO "Dostoinoe Budushee Molodezhi-DMB" in Orlovka.

UNDP representative noted that the application of NGO “Dostoinoe Budushee Molodezhi-DMB” for the purchase of the portable ultrasound machine was selected on a competitive basis by the grant evaluation committee, which includes representatives of ministries and agencies.

The participants of the ceremony expressed hope that the new ultrasound machine will increase the functionality of the general practitioners centre and will contribute to improvement of public health and quality of medical services provided to the population of Orlovka and nearby villages and will help people of all ages to achieve a healthy life and wellbeing.

About the project:

In the past, Kyrgyzstan acted as one of the most important sources of uranium and rare-earth metals for the USSR. Mining activities began in the 1940s. As a result, some 6,500 hectares of land were exposed to radiation and toxic contamination. Currently, there are 92 landfills for hazardous highly toxic wastes. 

The project "Stakeholder Engagement for Uranium Legacy Remediation in Central Asia" aims at reducing the risk of negative impact of uranium tailings on people, livelihoods and the environment through awareness-raising and support to socio-economic, gender-sensitive and risk-tolerant solutions at the community level.

Objectives of project"Stakeholder Engagement for Uranium Legacy Remediation in Central Asia":

- Informing target communities about the radiation risks for human health and the environment

- Community involvement and right of access to information on uranium legacy sites

- Implementation of small grants aimed at the socio-economic development of the target communities.

An open competition for small grants was conducted among non-governmental organizations of local communities in the vicinity of uranium tailings sites.

Settlements affected by tailings dams and target communities of the project:

- Mailuu-Suu town, Jalal-Abad oblast

- Orlovka town, Chui oblast

- Ak-Tyuz village, Chui oblast 

- Min-Kush village, Naryn oblast 

- Kadzhi-Sai village, Issyk-Kul oblast

- Shekaftar village and Sumsar village of Jalal-Abad oblast