Karaganda Medical University has been named after its founder and first rector, Petr Moiseyevich Pospelov.
The solemn ceremony was attended by the Akim (Governor) of the Karaganda Region, the First Vice Minister of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan, members of the Kurultai, university and healthcare veterans, representatives of the medical and scientific communities, and students fr om across Kazakhstan and abroad.
“Karaganda became Pospelov’s hometown, and the development of Kazakhstani medicine became his life’s work. Perhaps the most important achievement of Petr Moiseyevich was that he created not a medical institute, but a true school of doctors, scientists, and educators that continues to develop to this day,” emphasized Yermaganbet Bulekpayev, Akim of the Karaganda Region.



Petr Moiseyevich led the university for almost 25 years. The institution had been established thanks to his persistence, determination, and broad understanding of the healthcare challenges and issues of that time.
“Naming the university after Petr Moiseyevich Pospelov is both a great honour and a significant responsibility. Conservation of the traditions he established, advancing medical science, and providing high-quality training for healthcare professionals must be a continuation of his life’s work,” noted Timur Sultangaziyev, First Vice Minister of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Pospelov’s contribution to the development of medical education and healthcare in the region cannot be overemphasized.



“For 10 years, Petr Pospelov led the Department of Healthcare and understood that one of the main challenges was the training of national specialists. He made considerable efforts to establish a medical institute in Karaganda and led the university for more than 24 years. He paid particular attention to young people from villages, seeking to ensure that rural communities had access to qualified doctors.
“The numbers tell the stories best: in 1950, among more than 300 doctors across the entire Karaganda Region, only eight were ethnic Kazakhs. During Pospelov’s leadership, the university trained more than 2,000 Kazakh doctors, accounting for almost one-third of all graduates.
“Petr Moiseyevich himself, a man with a profound spirit of internationalism, led by example of respect for the land wh ere he lived. He learned the Kazakh language and soon communicated fluently with local residents in their native language, earning the people’s deepest respect and sincere affection,” noted Bakhyt Nurgaliyevna Kosherova, Chairman of the Board - Rector of Karaganda Medical University named after Petr Pospelov.



“Petr Moiseyevich Pospelov was one of the founders of the healthcare system in the Karaganda Region. During the most challenging years, he headed the Department of Healthcare and understood very well how the region needed its own medical professionals. He persistently advocated for the establishment of the Karaganda Medical Institute to address the issue of providing doctors in the region. He subsequently made a significant contribution to the development of medical education.
“The decision to name the university after Pospelov is entirely justified. It provides an opportunity to preserve the memory of a man who was among the founders of the university and laid the foundation for the training of medical professionals in the region,” said Kanat Yermekbayev, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Karaganda Medical University named after Petr Pospelov and a veteran of healthcare.



On that day many warm and heartfelt memories could be heard from the stage. Particularly valuable were the words of university veterans who were fortunate to meet Petr Moiseyevich personally.