Mental health, digital health and human resources for health in focus during World Health Organization delegation’s visit to Kyrgyzstan

FRIDAY, MARCH 1, 2024 

Bishkek, KYRGYZSTAN – A delegation from the World Health Organization's (WHO) Regional Office for Europe, led by Dr Natasha Azzopardi-Muscat, Director of the Division of Country Health Policies and Systems, visited Kyrgyzstan on February 29th for site visits and meetings with key partners on joint priorities for human resources for health, mental health and digital health.

The delegation started with a site visit to the Family Medicine Centre in Alamedin rayon, Chuy oblast. The Centre has been testing a new programme for nurses that emphasizes the importance of increased involvement of patients in the management of their diabetes care, as well as in promoting nutrition and healthy lifestyles. 

“Involving patients in their own treatment process has proven benefits. When patients are allowed to participate in monitoring and treatment, they become more responsible for their own condition, leading to better health outcomes”, said Dr Azzopardi-Muscat. “This is one of the key messages we continue to build on from last year’s high-level conference on trust and transformation for more resilient and sustainable health systems of the future.” 

The delegation also met with Dr Mederbek Ismailov, First Deputy Minister of Health and Dr. Aijamal Shambetova, Deputy Minister of Health, to discuss the implementation of WHO’s new Country Cooperation Strategy in Kyrgyzstan, signed in November 2023. The discussion focused on human resources for health -retention, recruitment, management and training, mental health, and also on health financing and primary health care strengthening as the most effective approach to deliver health care services to people. 

Digital health and the WHO Regional Office for Europe’s Flagship on Digitalization was the focus of the delegation’s meeting with Dr Bakyt Dzhangaziev, Deputy Minister on Digitalization, and Chingiz Beksultanov, Director of the Ministry of Health’s e-Health Centre. The meeting highlighted the role of technology in healthcare and explored opportunities for advancing digital health, as Kyrgyzstan is making important advancements in digital health with its ‘Sanarip MED’ digitalization programme.

“The ‘Sanarip MED’ program is a promising innovation, supporting the introduction of digital solutions into health services. With a proper approach, digitalization should significantly reduce administrative and reporting burdens for family doctors and family nurses while enhancing the quality of care”, emphasized Dr Liviu Vedrasco, WHO Representative in Kyrgyzstan.

The visit concluded with a meeting between the WHO delegation and Ms Antje Grawe, UN Resident Coordinator in the Kyrgyz Republic. The discussion focused on collaborative efforts between WHO and the UN in addressing joint public health challenges, including in the area of digital health, and promoting sustainable development.

“WHO works alongside Kyrgyzstan as it continues to deliver on its commitments for health and well-being in line with the Roadmap for Health and Well-being in Central Asia. The Roadmap serves as a powerful health instrument, allowing countries to cooperatively respond to the intersecting challenges affecting them, and seizing opportunities for transformative change for their health systems”, said Dr. Azzopardi-Muscat.

This visit serves as a testament to the collaborative efforts between Kyrgyzstan, WHO and the UN system in promoting accessible, equitable, and high-quality healthcare for all.