X Anniversary Congress of Pediatricians of Kazakhstan Held in Almaty

On October 17–18, 2024, the anniversary X CONGRESS OF PEDIATRICIANS OF KAZAKHSTAN, "ACHIEVEMENTS AND PROSPECTS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF PEDIATRICS AND PEDIATRIC SURGERY," was held in Almaty with great success, bringing together leading scientists and experts in the fields of pediatrics and pediatric surgery.

The congress was organized by the Ministry of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the National Scientific Center of Pediatrics and Pediatric Surgery, the "Union of Pediatricians" Public Association, and S.D. Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical University.

More than 4,500 participants took part in the Congress (including over 569 in-person delegates, with 3,972 physicians joining online), including specialists from Italy, Poland, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Russia, Belarus, and other countries from the near and far abroad.

The ceremonial opening of the congress began with a screening of the film "Achievements and Prospects for the Development of Pediatrics and Pediatric Surgery," followed by welcoming remarks from Minister of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan Akmaral Alnazarova, Magripa Yembergenova, Director of the Department of Maternal and Child Health Protection of the Ministry of Healthcare, Svetlana Sultangaziyeva, Vice-Rector for Clinical Affairs at S.D. Asfendiyarov KazNMU, and Abai Kusainov, Chairman of the Management Board of NCPPS JSC.

In her welcoming address, Minister of Healthcare Akmaral Alnazarova highlighted a number of important Ministry initiatives aimed at improving the quality of medical care for children.

"In our country, as in the modern world as a whole, protecting the health of mothers and children is a priority area, since, strategically speaking, the wellbeing of the people and the future of the country and state depend directly on the health of our children. Over the past 10 years, we have seen a steady decline in the infant mortality rate. Survival rates for children with extremely low birth weight have increased fourfold. This is the result of the daily work of 5,000 pediatric specialists across the country, the introduction of effective perinatal technologies, WHO-recommended safe motherhood principles, the development of neonatal intensive care, the introduction of minimally invasive technologies and high-tech medical care, and the development of pediatric cardiac and neurosurgical care for children," said Minister of Healthcare A. Alnazarova.

The Minister also noted that active modernization of the regulatory and material-technical base in healthcare is currently underway. Standards for organizing medical care for children with oncological and hematological diseases, neonatal care, pediatric surgical care, pediatric audiology care, medical rehabilitation, and school medicine have been approved, and the Standard for organizing pediatric care is being revised. Given the growth of the country's child population, plans for building modern multidisciplinary children's hospitals and perinatal centers are being developed for the next 5 years. The Minister also noted that this year, after a long hiatus, S.D. Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical University produced its first graduating class of young pediatricians, and residency training and graduation of pediatric specialists continues annually. "Dear colleagues! Allow me to congratulate you on the opening of the X Congress of Pediatricians of the Republic of Kazakhstan. It is gratifying to note that the congress has brought together not only our longtime partners — practitioners and scientists from CIS countries — but also colleagues from far abroad. I am confident that only by working together can we successfully address problems in child healthcare, contribute to preserving and strengthening it, and make our children's lives happy. I wholeheartedly wish the guests and participants of the Congress successful work, high professionalism, good health, and prosperity!" said Minister of Healthcare A. Alnazarova in her welcoming remarks.

"The X anniversary Congress of Pediatricians of the Republic of Kazakhstan is a significant scientific and educational event in the field of child healthcare. In recent years, the Congress has become an authoritative international platform for discussing the development of pediatrics and pediatric surgery. Our shared task is to ensure the best possible health for every child, upon which the future of an economically strong, socially stable, and culturally rich country depends. The coordinated and responsible work of the Ministry of Healthcare, regional authorities, and every medical worker has enabled us to achieve worthy results. The Ministry has approved an Action Plan for the Development of Maternal and Child Health Services for 2024–2030, and rules for organizing neonatal care that meet international requirements have been developed. More than 30 clinical protocols on obstetrics, childhood, and rehabilitation have been revised. Tariffs for neonatology, pediatric allergology, neurology, and rheumatology have been increased by 31 to 50%. The Infrastructure Development Concept for 2024–2030 prioritizes the creation of multidisciplinary hospitals, including perinatal centers and children's clinics, in line with the best international standards. To improve care for children with oncological and hematological diseases, a Standard has been approved for the first time. High-tech, modern diagnostic and treatment methods have been introduced — immunohistochemistry, immunophenotyping, determination of specific tumor markers, high-dose chemotherapy for bone and soft tissue sarcomas, and organ-preserving surgical treatment methods for bone sarcomas.

To improve the equipment of medical organizations, 525 units of medical equipment worth almost 60 billion tenge were purchased in 2023 through general transfers and local budget funds, and 439 units of medical equipment worth a total of 51.8 billion tenge are planned for purchase in 2024.

Special attention is being paid to training professional personnel. Since 2017, pediatrician training has resumed, and 205 pediatric specialists graduated in 2024. This year, 113 grants were allocated for pediatric residency training, 58 for pediatric surgeons, and 173 for pediatric anesthesiologists-resuscitators," said Magripa Yembergenova, Director of the Department of Maternal and Child Health Protection of the Ministry of Healthcare, in her welcoming remarks, discussing these and other results.

At this authoritative congress platform, current issues in the diagnosis and treatment of childhood diseases were discussed, along with the most pressing issues in modern treatment and diagnostic technologies in the scientific and clinical practice of pediatrics and pediatric surgery. In total, more than 121 presentations were delivered across 12 scientific sessions. Presentation topics ranged from organizational aspects of providing medical care to children with various diseases and improving medical services for children at the primary healthcare level, to modern methods of diagnosing and treating childhood diseases. Current issues in pediatric surgery, new standards for diagnosing and treating rare diseases in children, rehabilitation and medical-social adaptation of children with various somatic and surgical conditions, pediatric intensive care and anesthesiology, and the development of information technologies in pediatrics were also addressed.

At the ceremonial opening, Congress participants observed a moment of silence in honor of the luminaries of Kazakhstan's pediatrics. This year, Kazakhstan's pediatric community suffered irreplaceable losses — the passing of outstanding scientists and luminaries: Academician of the Academy of Preventive Medicine of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Professor, Doctor of Medical Sciences, and specialist in child nutrition and gastroenterology Auken Kiyasovich Mashkeyev, and the founder of Kazakhstan's pediatric oncohematology service and school of pediatric oncohematologists, Honored Pediatrician, Professor, Doctor of Medical Sciences Kulyan Omarovna Omarova. They were teachers and mentors to many young doctors, having trained a whole generation of physicians who continue to serve Kazakhstan's pediatrics. Their lives and their creative and professional work continue to serve as an example of selfless dedication to protecting children's health.

As part of the congress, an international scientific-practical conference for doctoral students, residents, and young doctors was held on October 18: "Young Researcher: Challenges and Prospects for the Development of Modern Pediatrics and Pediatric Surgery."

The main goal of the conference was to discuss current issues in pediatric surgery and pediatrics, develop skills and increase interest among young specialists in research activities, and establish close international and Eurasian cooperation among young scientists on innovations in pediatrics and pediatric surgery.

The conference featured publications, oral and poster presentations by young doctors studying in residency, master's, and PhD doctoral programs at research institutes/centers and universities in Kazakhstan, the CIS, and abroad. It is encouraging to note that the number of interested participants grows every year, and the quality of research presented at this conference continues to improve.

As is traditional, competitions were held for "Best Oral Presentation," "Best Poster Presentation," and "Best Thesis." Winners were awarded special diplomas. We would also like to note that, for the first time, a special prize honoring the luminaries of domestic pediatrics was established as part of the conference: the Prize named after Academician of the Academy of Preventive Medicine of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Professor Auken Kiyasovich Mashkeyev, and the founder of Kazakhstan's pediatric oncohematology service and school of pediatric oncohematologists, Professor Kulyan Omarovna Omarova.

As part of the congress, three master classes were held on the topics: "Capsule Endoscopy in Pediatric Practice," "The Role of MRD PCR Real-Time in the Diagnosis of Leukemia: Interpretation of Test Results," and "Morphological Diagnosis of Hematological Diseases in Children and Young Adults" (October 15–17, 2024). A round table on "Short Bowel Syndrome: Treatment and Follow-Up Challenges" was also held on October 18, 2024.

We are confident that the congress will make a worthy contribution to improving the system of medical care for children, addressing global achievements in world science and practice, and will give a new, powerful impetus to the further development and improvement of pediatric care.

As a result of discussions among congress participants on the main current and near-future challenges in childhood diseases, the congress developed a resolution outlining the main problems and prospects for the development of pediatrics.