Five countries in central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) will benefit from stronger and more resilient health systems thanks to a €10 million project, co-financed by the European Union (EU) and implemented by WHO/Europe in 2022–2026.
The funds will initially be used to scale-up COVID-19 vaccination, develop and implement COVID-19 and routine immunization plans, train health-care workers and professionals involved in vaccination, and strengthen immunization information systems. The project will also strengthen vaccine-preventable disease surveillance and the use of digital solutions to prevent and respond to future vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks.
The 4-year project by the EU and WHO/Europe will assist with assessing and boosting the ability of the participating countries to collect and use quality health data, for developing effective policies that can decrease health risks for millions of people every year.
Enhancing health systems
“Health is an essential driver of central Asia’s socioeconomic development. WHO believes that by joining forces with partners to strengthen systems for the protection of the most vulnerable, we will ignite transformative change that ultimately improves the lives of the 75 million people living in central Asia. A key trusted partner and donor on this journey of ours, is the European Union,” said Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, during the project launch event in Astana, Kazakhstan.
“We consider the EU funding support as a European investment in human capital, health, well-being and quality of life in central Asia,” said Kestutis Jankauskas, EU Ambassador to Kazakhstan, addressing students at Astana Medical University, where the new EU–WHO project was launched. The Ambassador added that the best European practices and standards would be applied in the implementation of the project.
The funds will be used to enhance data and digital health systems in line with the recently adopted “Regional digital health action plan for the WHO European Region 2023–2030”, for which central Asian countries have shown strong support.
Building on achievements
The project supports the “Roadmap for health and well-being in central Asia 2022–2025”, co-created by the 5 central Asian republics, through consultation facilitated by WHO and supported by development partners, to foster cooperative responses to crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis and political instability.
Additionally, the project builds on earlier support from the EU and WHO to strengthen the response to COVID-19 in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan. In 2020–2022 this project trained over 5200 health-care workers in infection prevention and control, immunization, case management, risk communication and laboratory security.
Essential medical supplies were also delivered to frontline hospitals and laboratories to scale up their testing capacity and to assist patients with severe symptoms.
Source link : https://www.who.int/uzbekistan/news/item/28-10-2022-eu-and-who-work-together-for-better-health-in-central-asia
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Publish date : 2022-10-28 03:00:00
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