The history of the West Kazakhstan Marat Ospanov Medical University began in 1957.The Order of Higher Education of the USSR: “… in order to provide qualified medical personnel in Western and North-Western Kazakhstan”, on September 1, 1957 Aktobe State Medical Institute (ASMI) was opened in the specialty “General Medicine”.
Candidate of medical sciences, associate professor., later – doctor of medical sciences, academician DairovA.B was appointed the first rector of the Institute.
The opening of the Institute marked the beginning of the development of medical education and science in Kazakhstan. The first teachers came from the leading medical institutions of the USSR. In a short time, the educational process was organized, the first enrollment of students was conducted and the start of life for a new higher education institution in Aktobe was given. The first dean was MD, associate professor Sorokin AP, who organized one of the fundamental departments – normal anatomy and anatomical museum, which became the best among medical universities in Kazakhstan. By the middle of October 1957, seven departments were opened at the Institute.
Rector A.B. Dairov headed the department of general surgery concurrently from 1957 to 1963. During this period 33 departments were opened in ASMI, including 17 – in clinical ones.
In 1963 under the guidance of the Rector RastopchinaN.D. there was the first graduation of young specialists: 157 physicians began a new life. The Department of Urology was also opened at that time, and the construction of the morphological building was started.
During the guidance of rector V.N Andreev (1966-1968) the construction of the morphological building was completed, the departments of children’s diseases and phthisiology were organized.
During the supervision of rector SharmanovT.Sh. (1968-1971) the pediatric faculty and the preparatory department were opened, three new departments, a research laboratory on nutrition issues was organized, and mass-circulation newspaper ‘Medic’ was issued.
From 1971 to 1995 the Institute was headed by Smagulov A.S. The Institute continued to strengthen the material and scientific base of the institute: the building of the Research Laboratory, 2 training and laboratory buildings, 3 dormitories were built, the construction of the main(administration) building was started, 7 departments, faculty of postgraduate education of doctors, nurses and advanced training of teachers were organized.
By Rector Ordabayev Zh.K. (1995-1998) elected on a voluntary basis at the Academic Council of the Institute, the construction of the main building was completed, the departments and administration departments were relocated, the organization of the Museum of the History of the Academy and Public Health of Western Kazakhstan began.
The main event of 1997 was a visitof the President of Kazakhstan N.Nazarbayev in connection with the opening of a new (main) building.
In 1997 by order of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan the Institute received the status of an Academy.
Three years later during guidance of the rector Doskaliev Zh.A. (1998-2000) the institution was renamed the West Kazakhstan State Medical Academy with the assignment of the name of Marat Ospanov – MD, an outstanding socio-political figure, Chairman of the Majilis of the Parliament of Kazakhstan, who worked at the university for more than 20 years.
Sanitation and hygiene and Dentistry faculties were opened, a Research laboratory was organized dealt with the new complex problem “Transplantation of liver cells in the experiment and clinic”,a modular family clinic, and the ‘Zhanibek’ boxing club were also organized.
In the period of the rector ZholmukhamedovK.K. (2000–2003) innovation methods of teaching students were first implemented: a computer testing centre and a dissertation council in the specialties “Pharmacology”, “Clinical Pharmacology”, Faculty of Pharmacy, and a branch of the Centre for Occupation Pathology were opened.
In 2001-2002 the university received state licenses for the right to conduct educational activities in the field of secondary, higher and postgraduate professional education, as well as medical activities.
During the supervision of rector Berkinbayev S.F. (2003-2007) four new departments were organized at the faculty of advanced training of doctors, a number of departments at Preventive medicine and pharmaceutical faculties, a department for training specialists with secondary vocational education were formed; diagnostic and cardiac surgery centres, a dental clinic were opened; major repairs and reconstruction of the historical museum were made due to the 50th anniversary of the university. In 2007 the first in Western Kazakhstan Cardiac Surgery Centre was opened on the basis of the university own clinic (Medical Centre).
Since 2008 the rector is MD, Professor Bekmukhambetov E.Zh.In 2009 the university received the status of West Kazakhstan Marat Ospanov State Medical University.
WKSMU today is a major educational, scientific and medical institution, whose specialists continue the traditions of scientific schools founded by famous scientists of the university. The educational process includes university (bachelor’s degree course, internship) and post-graduate education (residency, magistracy, PhD-doctorate), retraining and advanced training of specialists in the basic educational programmes.
To date more than 60% of students are trained by state educational grants, in addition, grants for the training of medical personnel are allocated from regional authorities. Work is also being done concerning foreign students, currently 264 students from India are studying. West Kazakhstan Marat Ospanov State Medical University provides the Aktobe region and the entire region of Western Kazakhstan with medical personnel.
In 2014 WKMOSMU underwent institutional accreditation, and in 2016 – international specialized accreditation in all educational programmes of undergraduate and postgraduate education through the Independent Accreditation and Rating Agency (IAAR).
The university has 5 educational and laboratory buildings, 5 student dormitories for 2100 places. In the 2016-2017 academic year, the construction of a modern complex consisting of a dormitory for 1000 seats, a conference hall named after A.Doszhanova for 700 seats, with a modern library was completed. The students have three own accredited clinics: the University Medical Centre, the Family Medicine Clinic and the Dental Clinic.
Since 2004 the scientific and periodical journal “Batys Kazakstan Medicina Zhurnaly’ which is included in the list of publications recommended by the Committee on Supervision in the Field of Education and Science of the MES RK; since 2017 – the journal “The conference series of the WKSMU” is being issued.
The university has a dissertation council to defend the dissertations of PhD learners.
There is an interuniversity military department that trains reserve officers from among the students of universities in Western Kazakhstan. Future military doctors are trained at the military medical faculty.
WKMOSMU cooperates in the field of medical science, education and practical health care with 45 leading foreign universities on the basis of signed memorandums on mutual relations, contracts, agreements on international cooperation, the number of which is increasing every year. The program of academic mobility of students and teaching staff is being implemented.
The university collaborates with the Association of Medical Education in Europe (AMEE), the Association of Medical Schools in Europe (AMSE), it is included in the directories of medical schools of the World Health Organization (WorldDirectory of Medical Schools, WHO), in the International Directory of Universities of UNESCO (International Handbook of Universities, UNESCO).
The strategic partner of the university is Medical University. K. Martsinkovski (Poland). In the framework of cooperation, the leading employees of the strategic partner university work as top managers and teaching staff.
Over the years of its existence, the university has trained more than 25 thousand young specialists in the field of higher and postgraduate medical education.
Pupils of the university head the educational and research teams of many universities and research institutes of Kazakhstan, successfully working in the countries of near and far abroad.