Cardiac Surgeon, Official, and Bribery Case: Bakhytbek Kadyraliev's Tenure

Bakhytbek Kadyraliev has been removed from his position as Deputy Minister of Health of Kyrgyzstan, effective August 17, concluding a tenure of approximately eight months. Kadyraliev, a distinguished cardiac surgeon and doctor of medical sciences, was appointed in December 2025. His career has seen significant contributions both in Kyrgyzstan and Russia. He completed his medical training in Moscow and later served at the Sukhanov Federal Center for Cardiovascular Surgery in Perm, Russia. Kadyraliev gained widespread recognition as a practicing cardiac surgeon, performing his first open-heart surgery at the age of 29. He later earned his doctorate and focused on organ transplantation, including a successful heart transplant operation in Perm in 2025. Even after becoming deputy minister in Kyrgyzstan, he continued to perform complex cardiac surgeries, as reported by the Ministry of Health in February 2026. However, his time in office was not without controversy. In May, social media circulated unsubstantiated claims of Kadyraliev being detained while intoxicated, which the presidential administration's information policy chief publicly denied. A more significant incident occurred in Russia prior to his appointment in Kyrgyzstan. In January 2025, Kadyraliev was stopped by traffic police in Perm while allegedly showing signs of intoxication. Court documents indicate he attempted to avoid sobriety testing and offered a traffic inspector $200 to dismiss the matter. On July 8, 2025, the Leninsky District Court of Perm found him guilty of attempted bribery and imposed a fine of 700,000 rubles. Russian media reported that Kadyraliev admitted guilt and did not appeal the verdict.