The forum, organized by the Government of Turkmenistan and the WHO Regional Office for Europe in Ashgabat, brought together foreign specialists, high-ranking experts, heads of medical and scientific institutions of the countries in the WHO European Region.
As was reported, during the meeting, the World Health Organization awarded Turkmenistan with a certificate for the outstanding contribution to the prevention of noncommunicable diseases. In this regard, it was underlined the key role of President of Turkmenistan, Academician of the Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Medicine, Honorary Professor of a number of foreign scientific and educational centers Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov in bringing the Turkmen health care system up to the new, innovative level.
In addition to annual awards such as the Ihsan Doramacı Family Health Foundation Prize, The Sasakawa Health Prize, the United Arab Emirates Health Foundation Prize and others, the WHO Director General has the practice of issuing Certificates to countries as a sign of appreciation of the achievements or contributions in certain areas of health care system. Thus, this award was presented to Turkmenistan in recognition of the leadership of our state in the prevention of non-communicable diseases and the promotion of healthy lifestyle.
Turkmenistan takes a very serious approach to the prevention of NCDs and has made significant progress in several areas, including alcohol and tobacco control. A number of decisive policy measures taken in the country, including the ban on direct and indirect advertising of alcohol products and imposition of taxes on alcohol products, have resulted in the significant reduction in alcohol consumption in the country.
In 2013, Turkmenistan adopted one of the most comprehensive laws on tobacco control. The implementation of tobacco control measures provided for in he Law has reduced the prevalence of smoking among adults - more than twice since 2013 (only 3.4% of the population smoked in 2018). This is certainly the lowest rate among the countries in the region.
Our country has set a high goal – to become a tobacco free country by 2025.
During the high-level conference, WHO representatives affirmed that the World Health Organization welcomed the efforts made by Turkmenistan. The rapid progress achieved in tobacco and alcohol control testifies to Turkmenistan’s continued commitment to the prevention of noncommunicable diseases and stands as an example to follow and continue mutually beneficial cooperation.
