Kakish Ryskulova

Ryskulova was born on 15 October 1918 in the village of Chetindi, Ysyk-Ata district, Chuy oblast.[1] An orphan by the age of ten, her uncle, Ishenali Arabaev, encouraged her to apply to go to boarding school; it was her uncle who also encouraged her to eventually apply to go to medical college.[2] She began to study nursing at Frunze Medical School in 1936.[3] After she left the medical school she worked as a paramedic in Batken, and as a nurse in Naryn.[2] In 1940, Ryskulova began to study at the medical faculty of the Kyrgyz State Medical Academy, which she graduated from in 1944.[4] Study there enabled her to move to graduate school, where she was the first woman from central Asia to become a surgeon.[2][4] Two other Kyrgyz people to become surgeons alongside Ryskulova were I.K. Akhunbaev and Zyfar Egemberdieva.[5]

In 1951 she graduated with a DPhil in Medicine.[4] Her doctoral dissertation was on vascular surgery.[2] The research for this project began several years earlier, after she graduated and began to treat patients who were wounded in the Second World War.[4] Her dissertation was entitled "Arrhythmias and the benefits of mechanical suturing of blood vessels and nerves in veins". Through her research she developed a new technique for repairing veins and arteries and continued to specialise in vascular medicine, as well as working in a variety of other disciplines.[4] In 1968 she was awarded the title of Professor of Medicine.[3] In 1969 she was appointed as an academician of the Kyrgyz Academy of Sciences. Prior to her retirement, she was Head of the Faculty of Medicine for thirty-five years.[4] Ryskulova also was elected as a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the Kirghiz SSR and was a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kirghiz SSR.[4]

Ryskulova died on 26 August 2018. Her funeral was held on 28 August at the Kyrgyz Drama Theatre. Her official obituary was signed by the President of Kyrgyzstan Soronbai Jeenbekov.[1]

The Department of Surgery at the Kyrgyz State Medical Academy is named after Ryskulova, in honour of her achievements.[6]

• Honoured Scientist of the Kyrgyz Republic.
• Honoured Doctor of the Kyrgyz Republic.[7]
• Academician of the Kyrgyz Academy of Sciences.[4]
• Order of Lenin.[4]
• Order of Dank.[4]
• Order of Manas.[4]

Ryskulova was married to Omorkul Suleymanov. They had two daughters, and also adopted two of her nephews. All are doctors, apart from her daughter Anara Suleymanova, who was a professional ballerina.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kakish Ryskulova.

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  With her husband
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  Teaching
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  In surgery
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  With other members of the Academy of Sciences