Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, hosted the 7th Meeting of Health Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation member states for the first time in person since the end of the coronavirus pandemic.

Iranian Health Minister Bahram Einollahi called for strengthened cooperation in public health, antimicrobial resistance, healthy lifestyles, and mental health, as well as preventing and managing cardiovascular diseases and other non-communicable diseases. This is reported by
Tehran Times, a partner of TV BRICS.

He also highlighted the importance of ensuring public access to safe drinking water, health services, and proper sewage systems as primary rights and essential human needs. “Today, scarcity of water resources and climate change have posed serious challenges to the sustainable provision of drinking water.”

During the event, the member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) spoke on health care issues of relevance to the region, presented successes in the development of national health care systems and strategic programmes for their development, exchanged views on the development of common approaches to the adoption of effective measures of health care systems contributing to social and economic development, and discussed problems common to the region in the field of health care, in the fight against infectious and non-communicable diseases.

In particular, the Plan included new areas of cooperation that had not previously been on the SCO agenda: sharing experience and results of the effective fight against antimicrobial resistance, organisation of cooperation and exchange of experience in increasing the population’s motivation to lead a healthy lifestyle.

The initiative proposed by the Russian Federation to consider the establishment of the SCO Medical Association is a key part of the Plan. This will strengthen the role of the medical community, allow for collegial discussion and development of standards for the quality of medical care and the development of common principles of medical ethics.

Photo:
iStock