Europeans discover steppe resorts of Pavlodar

In Soviet times, the citizens of Pavlodar, as well as many other residents of our republic preferred Kislovodsk, Yessentuki and other famous resorts of the Caucasus and Crimea. Having returned, they enthusiastically told about wonderful mineral water and mud. At that, most of them were even unaware of the brine and mud of the Moiyldy resort, or more exactly its eponymous salty steppe lake near Pavlodar, and other water basins of the region (Maraldy, Kalkaman, Yamyshevskoye), that are in no way inferior in healing properties to the resorts of the Caucasus. For example, one spring in the territory of the Uspenski district exceeds in its chemical composition of water the famous mineral springs of Pyatigorsk.

Esen-Aman Kaymidenov, chief physician of the JSC "Health Resort Moiyldy", told The Astana Times about its history.

"A century ago a merchant from Pavlodar by the name of Slavtsov opened on the lake a paid mud bath in an adobe house. And a decade later the health resort was officially opened on its base," he said. "It should be mentioned that local people knew about the miraculous properties of the mud and brine in the lake and used them in treatment. So we have a rich history and great prospects. During the Great Patriotic War, the soldiers with bleeding wounds were successfully cured there. And today the Kazakh cosmonauts, citizens of Germany, especially those who left Kazakhstan, nationals of Russia, the republics of Central Asia and even France visit the Moiyldy to improve their health."

A recent delegation of journalists were shown around the treatment rooms and the comfortable luxury wards for the patients, lounges for playing chess and tennis, shops, stalls, karaoke, library, an international call office that meet European standards with flowers in the halls and passages between the buildings. Pictures and photos on the walls and sculptures and carpets decorate the apartments and make them comfortable and cozy.

"Before 1973, the resort worked seasonally, and then began to receive patients year-round," said General Director of the JSC "Health Resort Moiyldy" Fuat Satybayev. "During the period of economic transition to market relations in Kazakhstan, we nearly went bankrupt. The revival, which began in 2003 with the reorganization into the joint-stock company, continues to this day. We are erecting new buildings and reconstructing earlier built houses, improving service and patient care, arranging the territory and keeping the healing properties of the lake. Next year we plan to construct a summer building from clean Siberian timber and an indoor year-round swimming pool. In addition the park area will be expanded. We are getting ready to apply new treatments, particularly for osteoarthritis and other spine diseases, of course, coupled with the use of mud baths."

As the scientists discovered, the medicinal properties of the lake have been active for already 400 years, and the depth of the mud in several layers, which differ in colour and their mineralized structure, is slightly more than half a metre. A special technology helps preserving the unique property of the mud and brine confirmed by regular analysis conducted by independent laboratories.

"Our full capacity is 540 patients," the general director said. "Mainly they are the employees of the oblast's companies and other regions. But now together with our founders (including the regional TU Council), we are working on the options to receive in winter months pensioners and disable people."

"The matter is that we haven't so far broken the old psychology of people who believe that the effectiveness of overseas spa resorts is higher than domestic mud therapy. I am not going to dispute qualifications and skills of foreign colleagues, but I must say that the nature has endowed Kazakhstan with unique healing lakes and mud," Satybayev said.

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