The Swiss Government will be represented by Ambassador Ms. Patricia Danzi, Director General of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and Ambassador Mr. Dominique Paravicini, Head of the Economic Cooperation and Development Division and Delegate of the Federal Council for Trade Agreements at the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). The goal of this visit is to know more about the challenges Kyrgyzstan faces today.

The Swiss delegation will meet representatives of the Kyrgyz government to discuss development and economic cooperation issues as well as bilateral trade and investments. They will also meet representatives of the business sector, international organizations and civil society. 

Ms. Danzi and Mr. Paravicini will visit Swiss funded development projects in various areas of Chui oblast, in particular in the sectors of water, tourism, health and local governance, and learn from citizens who benefitted from these projects how the Swiss support helped to improve the quality of their life. Both ambassadors will also learn more about the Kyrgyz culture and visit the capital city. 

The forum is organized by the joint efforts of the Ministry of Health, the Nurses Professional Association and the Swiss project “Medical Education Reforms in the Kyrgyz Republic”.

Around 250 participants are attending: among them there are key decision and policy makers, development partners, international experts, national and regional professional associations of nurses, the association of midwifes, medical colleges, practicing nurses and nurse trainers.

The participants will discuss ongoing reforms and global changes in nursing and midwifery practice and will determine a model of nursing education adapted to the needs of people and international requirements.

Since 2013, the Government of Switzerland has been financing the Medical Education Reforms project with the technical support of the Geneva University Hospitals in collaboration with a local implementing partner “Initiatives in Medical Education”.

In September 2022, the Swiss project in cooperation with the Ministries of Health and Education launched a new educational program for training nurses in Bishkek, Uzgen, Tokmok, and Naryn Medical Colleges. This experimental program promotes practice-based approach: 50% of all training hours are devoted to practice with full involvement of students in the clinical sites.