Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to establish childhood cancer center

Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have agreed to establish an international academic center focused on childhood cancer. The agreement was reported by "Kazakhstanskaya Pravda".

The decision was made during the high-level conference "Dialogue for Children: Central Asia and UNICEF," held in Tashkent. During the event, Kazakhstan's Minister of Health Akmaral Alnazarova and Uzbekistan's Minister of Health Asilbek Khudoyorov held bilateral talks.

The two sides discussed key areas of cooperation in healthcare, including improving the quality of medical services, exchanging expertise in patient care, and collaborating within the coalition of countries focused on primary healthcare. They also agreed to pursue joint scientific projects to comprehensively study environmental factors affecting public health in the Aral Sea region.

Special attention was given to the protection of children’s health. Kazakhstan proposed the establishment of an International Academic Center for Childhood Cancer and expressed its readiness to take an active role in its development.

Additionally, proposals were made to create an international hub for adult oncology and oncohematology based at the National Scientific Oncology Center, and a hub for pediatric cardiac surgery based at the UMC Heart Center. The latter would also provide assistance to children from Karakalpakstan.

At the conclusion of the talks, both sides agreed to hold the Days of Kazakh Medicine in Uzbekistan later this year and the Days of Uzbek Medicine in Kazakhstan in 2026.

The ministers also supported a broader proposal to create an international healthcare hub to strengthen regional medical cooperation.