Kazakhstan, Astana, Oct. 15 / Trend , K.Konyrova/
The total number of Kazakh people living in areas contaminated by radioactive substances during the air-ground nuclear explosions in 1949-1965 at the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, and their descendants is about 370,000 people, Kazakh Parliamentarian, Yerzhan Rahmetov said to Prime Minister Karim Masimov at the parliament.
"At present, according to the Scientific Research Institute of Radiation Medicine and Ecology in Semipalatinsk region (which housed the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site during the Soviet years - approx. Trend ) about 90,000 people living in the area of emergency and maximum radiation risk, as well as their descendants in 1949-1965 need medical treatment," said Rahmetov.
According to his information, the people living in areas contaminated by radioactive substances during the air-ground nuclear tests in 1949-1965, respectively, and their descendants number about 370,000 people.
"Meanwhile, the possibility of rehabilitation of the injured at the medical clinics of the Scientific Research Institute of Radiation Medicine and Ecology in Semipalatinsk is limited because existing rehabilitation ward for 45 people enables to treat only 1,300 patients per year," said the parliamentarian.
Rahmetov recalled that in the summer of this year, President Nursultan Nazarbayev said in his speech at a forum in Semipalatinsk that it is necessary to create a cluster of radiological medicine, which could bring together health centers in Kazakhstan for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer and diseases caused by radiation.
"Therefore, I ask you to consider the issue of allocating funds from the public budget for 2010-2012 to the construction of clinics of the Scientific Research Institute of Radiation Medicine with the designed cost of more than 1.2 billion tenge, including costs for design and state examination," summarized Yerzhan Rahmetov.