Health Care in Central Asia

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Before September 11 2001 and its sequelae, the five former Soviet republics of central Asia were little known to the rest of the world. Their proximity to Afghanistan has raised their profile, with foreign troops using them as bases and refugees streaming across their borders. The fledgling nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan have been through hard times since unexpectedly gaining independence in 1990-1. Every aspect of life was affected, often for the worse, to the point of a bloody civil war in Tajikistan.

I first saw the region in 1992 with World Health Organization teams visiting Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan in their new …