The “Adyrna” National Portal reports that Kamal Ormantayev, the founder of pediatric surgery in Kazakhstan, has passed away at the age of 89.
His son, Zharas Ormantayev, announced the news on his Facebook page, writing:
“This evening, my beloved father, the founder of pediatric surgery in Kazakhstan – academician Kamal Ormantayev, has passed away.”
A Life Dedicated to Medicine
Kamal Ormantayev was a pediatric doctor, Doctor of Medical Sciences, professor, and renowned scientist. He was an academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Kazakhstan, a vice-president of the Academy of Preventive Medicine of Kazakhstan, and a laureate of the State Prize of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
In 1959, he graduated from the Pediatrics Faculty of the Kazakh State Medical Institute (KazMMI). He later completed his clinical residency in pediatric surgery in 1961, a Ph.D. at the Department of Hospital Surgery in 1965, and a doctoral fellowship at the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences’ Research Institute of Pediatrics.
A Legendary Career
He worked as an assistant at the Department of Pediatric Surgery at Almaty Medical Institute and as a pediatrician at a district hospital. From 1968 to 2011, he headed the Department of Pediatric Surgery at S.D. Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical University.
Additionally, he served as:
• Dean of the Pediatrics Faculty at Almaty Medical Institute (1978-1980, 1989-1991).
• Director of the Scientific Center for Pediatrics and Pediatric Surgery of Kazakhstan (1980-1993).
A Surgeon Who Transformed Children’s Lives
Over his career, he performed nearly 20,000 surgeries and was the first in Kazakhstan to successfully perform thoracoplasty (chest wall reconstruction) for congenital pectus excavatum (sunken chest syndrome) in children.
His passing marks a great loss for Kazakhstan’s medical community.
