RESUMO
In Kyrgyzstan, as in all former Soviet Union countries, a vertically organized sanitary epidemiological service (SES) is responsible for providing part of the services related to the health protection. Though SES acquired a relativelystrong position during the existence of the Soviet Union, currently SES faces serious financial problems of trying to make ends meet with a low level of spending about US$0.30 per capita in Kyrgyzstan at the end of the 1990s.Reforming the SES has lagged behind the development of other components of the health care system in the country. It became evident that, in spite of some plans to restructure the SES, the strategic vision of the reform still remained as a future challenge. Therefore, a review team was designated to include experts relevant to the three main functions of SES epidemiology, sanitary hygiene and laboratory services. The review covered how the SES operates and how it is structured, assessment of the existing functions and structures and the recommendations on how to revise and restructure SES. The ultimate purpose was to make the SES even more effective and efficient, keeping in mind the scarcity of financial and other resources.
