A two-year co-operation agreement between the Ministry of Healthcare and the WHO European Office for 2024-2025 was signed in Astana during the 73rd session of the WHO European Regional Committee (ERC), QazMonitor reports citing the Ministry's press service.
"Within the framework of the cooperation agreement signed today with the WHO Regional Office for Europe, it was decided to allocate $1.8 million for the development of our health care. These funds will be used to provide expert, methodological and technical support from the international organization for capacity building of medical workers, health protection of mothers, newborns, children and adolescents, combating oncological and other non-communicable diseases, HIV, AIDS, tuberculosis, training of medical personnel, information work with the population and other areas," Healthcare Minister Azhar Giniyat said during a briefing at the forum of the WHO European Office.
As the Minister noted, important decisions are made on this platform to overcome the challenges that are on the healthcare agenda of all countries.
"President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev proposed an innovative proposal - the formation of a Coalition of friendly countries on the Primary Healthcare (PHC). In many countries the situation on PHC is not as good as in Kazakhstan, they are mostly limited to investing in expensive technologies. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, we have realized that the countries with a highly developed PHC showed the best results on the protection of the population", said Director of the WHO European Office Hans Kluge during the briefing.
He said that the initiative to form the Coalition will be discussed at the UN General Assembly next year.
Dr Kluge praised the level of digitalization in Kazakhstan's healthcare sector, which is helping to address staff shortages. He highlighted the fact that Kazakhstan is focusing on including psychologists in the PHC team, noting that mental health is a new pandemic in all regions of the world.