President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov gave the greeting address to participants of the XI Mother and Child Health Forum of the Central Asia Republics.

Expressing belief that the forum would play a crucial role in tackling the important issues of building a healthy society such as maternity and child care, development of health care and expansion of co-operation in this field the Turkmen leader says, “The Turkmen state provides overall support to national health care, the diagnostic centres, hospitals, health-improving centres and sanatoriums supplied with up-to-date equipment were constructed and work in the capital and velayat centres and we apply latest scientific and technical advances. Therefore, such international forums, scientific conferences, seminars are of paramount importance for development and improvement of the health care system in Turkmenistan.

“Most of the concrete steps aimed at developing and improving the health care system were taken in active collaboration with the international organisations, in particular the UN Development Programme, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN Population Fund, the World Health Organisation. In collaboration with the UN Children’s Fund the important programmes on salt iodination, flour enrichment enabling to prevent many diseases and eliminate some of them were implemented.”