05 December 2002

Almaty, Kazakhstan: It was during 1995 that Dr. Zhunisbekov first found out about the UN Volunteers Programme, and applied to become a UN Volunteer. He was given a UNV contract to work In Kayanza Province in Burundi, where he had the task of setting up a surgical operating theatre in the provincial hospital. It was very heavy work, as he had to carry out administrative work at the same time as doing emergency and scheduled orthopaedic operations. He also had to carry out obstetrical and gynaecological operations, because in this province of 500,000 people, there were practically no specialized doctors.

Under Dr Zhunisbekov's guidance, a local doctor on a National UNV contract, Mboniibuka Deogracias, learned how to carry out practical emergency surgery. Despite suffering a heart attack in 1997 and spending six months in Almaty recovering, Dr Zhunisbekov returned to Burundi to continue his work in the same provincial hospital, finishing his work there in 1998. In late 1998 he was offered a UNV contract to work as a Lecturer in Surgery in the Medical Faculty of Rwanda National University.

Apart from his teaching work, he also headed the Surgical Department, managed the university clinic, carried out surgery, and gave practical surgical training to sixth year students. During the period of his work there, Dr Zhunisbekov carried out more than 600 major operations. Most of the patients had suffered injuries as a result of the civil war in Rwanda, where it was common for fighting factions to cut oft each other's limbs.Dr Zhunisbekov completed his UNV mission in Rwanda in July 2001, but was then selected through UNV as a specialist doctor for a mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In Congo there are many diseases such as malaria, hepatitis, amoebic dysentery typhoid, and many other parasitic and infectious diseases. Only 42% of the population has access to clean drinking water. Dr Zhunisbekov was given the task of setting up a medical dispensary. When he arrived there was no building, no equipment, and no medical staff. He had to set up everything from scratch. Just one more challenge for Dr Zhunisbekov! And not the last!