October 2017, Italy, Rome
One of the most important issues in Kazakhstan’s healthcare system is obstetrics. It is not surprising, since in the country with a population of 18 million people about 400 thousand people are born every year (for comparison: Germany – 82.7 million/770 thousand, Italy – 60 million/473 thousand).
INTAMT conducts several seminars a year to improve the quality of obstetric care for Kazakh obstetrician-gynecologists. In October this year, doctors from different regions of the country visited the Italian capital Rome to learn about the experience of Italian colleagues and the specifics of organizing gynecological and obstetrical care in Italy.
During the seminar, obstetrician-gynaecologists from Kazakhstan visited not only maternity departments of large Roman clinics (Azienda Ospedaliera San Camillo Forlanini, Ospedale San Pietro), but also clinics of the Lazio Region as well as the private clinic Valle Giulia and the Centre for Reproductive Medicine GENERA.
Of particular interest was the exchange of experience with colleagues from the National Association of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians (SIGO). Italian doctors noted that they would visit Kazakhstan with great interest to learn about the work of the country’s obstetricians on the spot, as no other country in Europe has such birth rates. On the other hand, doctors in Italy, as in many other EU countries, see practically no complications of pregnancy such as severe diabetes or eclampsia.
The organisation of work with the population, the prevention of diseases that have a negative impact on the course of pregnancy and birth, and the improvement of women’s general health are the most important and challenging issues in Kazakhstan. An invaluable role in this process is played by the possibility of using the experience of other countries and adapting it to local conditions and needs.
