First Vice Minister of Healthcare and Social Development Salidat Kairbekova, World Health Organization Representative to Kazakhstan Melita Vujnovic and President of the National Medical Chamber Maksut Kulzhanov participated in the meeting.
Gulshara Abdykalikova congratulated Zsuzsanna Jakab on the opening of the WHO office on primary health care in Almaty. She noted the opening of the organisation’s regional office in Almaty is a milestone event, as in this very city the WHO/UNICEF Declaration on Primary Health Care was adopted in 1978.
The office in Almaty is the largest United Nations office in Europe and Central Asia, which will coordinate the activity of 53 member states of the World Health Organisation.
The parties noted with satisfaction the strong partnership between Kazakhstan and the World Health Organisation in many areas of cooperation.
Gulshara Abdykalikova thanked the WHO Regional Office for Europe for active consultative and technical assistance in the implementation of healthcare development programme “Salamatty Kazakhstan” for 2011-2015, which was initiated by President Nursultan Nazarbayev.
The Secretary of State emphasized that Kazakhstan attaches great importance to the health-related objectives of the Millennium Development Goals, including reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, combating HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. In particular, Kazakhstan has reduced its rate of maternal and infant mortality and improved life expectancy. Since 2009 maternal mortality has decreased by 3 times and in 2014 accounted for 11.8 deaths per 100 thousand live births; the infant mortality rate has diminished by 1.8 times and in 2014 was 10 deaths per 1,000 live births, while the average life expectancy reached 70.4 years.
Following the meeting, the parties defined priority areas for future cooperation of Kazakhstan with the WHO Regional Office for Europe in advancing national healthcare system, realizing Millennium Development Goals and improving primary health care.