Kyrgyzstan Repatriates 174 Citizens' Bodies in Five Months Amid Rising Medical Tourism Deaths

In the first five months of 2026, 174 deceased citizens of Kyrgyzstan were repatriated to their homeland. Baktibek Kudayberdiyev, Director of the Center for Employment of Citizens Abroad, announced that 21 million Kyrgyz som have been allocated for these repatriations. The government annually budgets 60 million som for the transportation of bodies, referred to as "cargo 200."

Last year, in 2025, 472 Kyrgyz citizens died abroad, and 56 million som were spent on bringing their bodies home. Kudayberdiyev stated that the allocated funds are generally sufficient to cover these costs.

He also noted a growing trend of medical tourism among Kyrgyz citizens, with many traveling to Turkey and India seeking medical treatment. Unfortunately, this trend is accompanied by an increase in the number of deaths among those seeking care abroad. Approximately 20 to 25 Kyrgyz citizens die annually in these two countries alone.

This information comes in the wake of a significant fire at the Florist Inn hotel in New Delhi on June 3, which claimed 21 lives, including three Kyrgyz nationals. Reports indicated that most of the foreign guests at the hotel were in the Indian capital for medical treatment at local healthcare facilities.