Medical Assistance to Children

Location: Bishkek

Project Description and Objectives

The project’s overall aim to provide the appropriate resources, training and financial assistance for medical professionals from the National Center of Maternity and Childhood Care working with children with special needs. We have worked particularly with families of children with cleft palate and neurological shunt surgeries and have made contributions to improve the quality of care given in the Center

Major Activities Completed and Results

This project was carried out in cooperation with The National Center of Maternity and Childhood Care. Our work with children with cleft palate and hydrocephalus and their families is focused on helping the families be able to afford correction surgery and preventing the necessity of the families giving up their children to orphanages. In 2010 we provided financial assistance for neurological shunt operations for 9 children and helped facilitate 4 cleft palate operations.

We also donated furniture and equipment for the waiting room in the Jaw/Cleft Palate department of the Center. Some 900 parents and children use this space each year.

We also facilitated a visit by the head neurosurgeon of the Center to visit the Belovisk orphanage for babies and toddlers to do a screening for hydrocephalus and to train orphanage staff in detecting that condition.

One family encapsulates the kind of help CDI is giving. After the child had facial surgery, the CDI staff stayed in touch with the family, offering advice and assistance, as other medical needs came up. This family is together today because of this contribution.