Ashgabat hosts the large-scale regional meeting again. The XI Mother and Child Health Forum of the Central Asia Republics (CAR MCH Forum) was opened in the Turkmen capital.

The annual meeting organized by the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan with assistance of the UN Children’s Fund brought together over 100 participants including the vice ministers of health, the high-ranking officials and leading specialists of the healthcare establishments from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, the international experts in nutrition, the representatives of the UN agencies and the international organisations accredited to Turkmenistan and numerous donor organisations providing assistance in the maternity and child care activities in the Central Asian region.

President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov gave the greeting address to participants of the meeting expressing belief that forum would play a crucial role in addressing the urgent needs in building a healthy society such as maternity and child care, development of health care and expansion of co-operation in that field.

Thanking the hosts for perfectly organizing the regular meeting the participants noted that the forum first held in 1997 served as a platform for the participating countries to share knowledge and experience, improve the existing the health systems and build the capacities.

This year’s meeting focused on maternal child nutrition and HIV/AIDS prevention. The delegations presented the reports on the achievements gained in the countries and the national strategies and initiatives promoting the current progress, particularly the considerable reduction of the death and morbidity rates among children and women of reproductive age.

The discussions focused on the achievements gained by Turkmenistan’s health system that prioritized maternity and child health care activities from the first days of independence. Through successfully implementing the health system reforms the country gained the remarkable results. To a large extent this success was achieved through establishing the effective health protection service and offering high-quality medical care by the super modern medical centres and clinics constructed throughout the country.

The state support enables to improve the maternity and child health system. In close co-operation with the long-term partners a number of the national programmes including Safe Motherhood, Anemia Prevention and Control, Breast Feeding Protection and Support, are in progress. Almost all the obstetrical institutions in Turkmenistan received the status of the Kid-Friendly Attitude Hospital officially confirmed by the WHO experts.

Turkmenistan leads in the vaccination coverage in the region. The prevention activities and annual children’s immunization campaign resulted in eliminating poliomyelitis in the territory of Turkmenistan. In 2002 Turkmenistan received the certificate on achievement of eradication of the wild-type virus in its territory.

In late 2004, Turkmenistan was the first country in the CIS and the fourth in the world to receive the international certificate on universal salt iodination. The high award is the official recognition of Turkmenistan’s profound contribution to preventing iron and iodine deficiency diseases. Turkmenistan successfully implements a number of large-scale projects on enrichment of food products, flour and salt in collaboration with the foreign partners.

Turkmenistan gained the remarkable success in preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS. The Turkmen state ranks among a few countries, where HIV and AIDS are not widely spread. Nevertheless, the active work to train healthcare workers in tackling this problem, to increase public awareness of HIV/AIDS prevention and control, to bring up healthy generations of the Turkmen people was carried on in the country. Thus, the participants were unanimous that Turkmenistan demonstrated the responsible approach to guaranteeing the worthy living conditions for citizens the welfare of whom was considered a crucial condition of sustainable development and the foundation of the welfare of the Turkmen nation.