Ministry of Health and UNICEF discussed a plan of interaction for 2021-2022
Today Minister of Health Alexey Tsoy met with Arthur van Diesen, UNICEF Representative in the Republic of Kazakhstan
The head of the Ministry of Health thanked the UN Children’s Fund for the long-term dynamic cooperation and the implementation of joint projects in the field of health, aimed primarily at protecting the health of mothers and children.
During the meeting, A. Tsoy and Arthur van Diesen discussed the results of cooperation between the Ministry of Health and UNICEF from 2016 to 2020.
The Minister noted the importance of work on the implementation of a universally progressive approach in organizing home visits for pregnant women, newborns, and young children, on the prevention of adolescent suicide, the development of standards for school medicine, the organization of medical and social care for HIV infection. And also for conducting joint research on child mortality, education for vaccination among parents and health workers, sanitation, and hygiene at schools.
The Ministry of Health and UNICEF continue to implement the fifth round of epidemiological monitoring of childhood obesity and access to water, sanitation, and hygiene at schools in 2020.
The National Center for Public Health has already begun fieldwork in 151 schools in 17 regions of the country. 6 thousand children will be covered. Together, it is planned to investigate the root causes of the measles outbreak, the reasons for the hesitation of vaccination among parents and to develop a national strategy for feeding children of early, preschool, and school-age with NCPH and a number of other initiatives.
At the same time, the parties discussed issues of further strengthening cooperation. In particular, it was proposed to develop a new Work Plan for 2021-2022 in a number of areas. Among them – the introduction of a universal progressive model of the patronage service of primary health care; carrying out work to improve the nutrition of children, the formation of skills of adherence to a healthy diet, the prevention of obesity as one of the key risk factors; support of the introduced effective perinatal technologies that facilitate the nursing of newborns, including premature babies; methodological support of classrooms and child development centers in order to organize counseling and informing parents; introduction and improvement of screening for young children; development of school medicine, expanding the competencies of medical workers in educational organizations.
Following the meeting, the Ministry of Health and UNICEF reached an agreement to develop further partnerships and intensify work to improve the qualifications of medical personnel.
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Arthur van Diesen has headed the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Country Office in Kazakhstan since June 1, 2019. Previously, he served as UNICEF Regional Adviser for Social Policy in the Middle East and North Africa (2015-2019), and was also UNICEF Deputy Representative in Tajikistan (2010-2015). Prior to joining UNICEF, he worked for the UK Department for International Development, UNDP, and a number of international NGOs. Has over 25 years of experience in social policy, applied social research, monitoring, and evaluation and program management.