HEROES OF OUR TIME: Yuri Pya - organizer of Kazakhstan's breakthrough in cardiac surgery symbolizing the country's intellectual and creative rise

Yuri Pya is one of those people, whose work enables Kazakhstan to rightfully position itself as a modern, dynamic state creating all necessary conditions for successful implementation of intellectual and creative potential of its citizens.

In August 2012, for the first time in our country, a donor heart transplantation to a patient with chronic heart failure was performed at Kazakhstan National Research Cardiac Surgery Center by an international team led by the center's chief heart surgeon and CEO, Yuri Pya and his Czech colleague Jan Pirk, it also employed concerted efforts of the Republican Research Center of Emergency Medical Assistance, the National Research Cardiac Surgery Center and Republican Diagnostic Center.

The news on it came as a surprise to the public, although the breakthrough in domestic medicine didn't occur all of a sudden, overnight.

Back in December 2011, Kazakhstan was on thye list of 22 most developed countries in the field of cardiac surgery due to introduction by the center of the technology of implantation of a miniature version of ventricular assist device or an artificial heart model «HeartWare». Since then, the Center implanted around 100 left ventricles, which means 100 saved lives.

This November, the second heart transplantation was performed and this time the donor heart was delivered from Almaty to Astana in a unique medical equipment «TransMedics», of which previously only leading clinics in the U.S., Australia and Germany could boast. This was made possible thanks to the policies of President Nursultan Nazarbayev paying a lot of attention to the development of healthcare in our country and implementation of the program initiated by him "Salamatty Қazahstan".

Robust achievements of Kazakhstan cardiac surgery outpacing similar services in other CIS countries, to a large extent, are predetermined by the personality of the head of the National Science Cardiac Center. Yuri Pya can be said to have been destined to achieve this success by his entire life as evidenced by the work record of Kazakhstan's leading cardiologist.

Ten years ago, Yuri moved in Astana to take charge of the cardiac surgery clinic of the National Research Medical Center, seven years on, he was appointed head of the National Research Cardiac Center. His previuos work at the Medical Center «Sani Konukoglu» in Turkey helped him acquire necessary medical and organizational experience, which now allows him to lead the major cardiac surgery institution in Kazakhstan.

Yuri Pya's career began in 1981 in the city of Tula at a hospital, where he worked as a junior surgeon after graduation from the 2nd Moscow State Medical Institute named after Pirogov. In 1982-1984, he worked at the 3rd children's hospital in the city of Frunze, in 1984-1985 he was a heart surgeon at the Republican Clinical Hospital in Kyrgyzstan. Between 1985 and 1994, he was a heart surgeon at the National Center of Cardiology and Therapy at the Ministry of Healthcare of the Kyrgyz Republic.

After the Soviet Union's demise, Yuri left for Turkey, where he worked until the invitation to return home and get in charge of the national cardiology service. It is not accidental that he was entrusted to perform this important work: his previous practical experience, excellent education and scientific training had been taken into account. Early in his career, in 1984 - 1985, Pya had a clinical residency at the Department of Surgery of the National Cardiology Center at then Ministry of Healthcare of Kyrgyzstan. In 2003, he received the diploma of a candidate of medical sciences at the Bakulev Scientific Center of Cardiovascular Surgery in Moscow. In 2010, the Higher Attestation Commission of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation awarded him the degree of Doctor of medical sciences.

Yuri Pya has always been seeking to improve his knowledge and skills, introduce new working methods. He raised qualification at Kaunas Medical Institute, the Bakulev Center in Moscow, Kazakh Medical Academy in Astana, the Schneider Children's Medical Center in Israel, the Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine in Prague. He took a training on heart transplantation in Vilnius, surgical training program at the University of Freiburg in Germany, training on the heart valve recovery in Belgium, training for the treatment of heart failure in the United States, various master classes in Astana, took a course on public healthcare management.

Pya's team have also been relevantly trained: they improved their qualification at clinics in Germany, France, Israel, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Russia and other countries, learnt a lot from their head and leading foreign experts.

Today, the National Research Cardiac Center led by Yuri Pya is a national brand in cardiac surgery. It harmoniously combines the most advanced international model of health care and scientific practice, research and educational activities in the field of cardiac surgery.

Pya believes that achievements of Kazakh cardiac surgery have become ​possible due to the social policy conducted in our country and to the fact that Kazakhstan stakes on domestic specialists and advanced medical technologies.

Yuri Pya's contribution to the development of domestic healthcare system was highly appreciated. In 2006, he was given an award pin for excellent work in the health care system of the republic; in 2011, he received an award pin for weighty contribution to the development of the country's medical system; in 2012, at the V forum of the patriots of the republic he was named the "Patriot of the Year". Yuri Pya was awarded with the national prize "Altyn Adam - Person of the Year " in the category "Physician of 2012". The same year, he was given Kazakhstan's Order "Parasat".