Summit of mayors of cities of the WHO European Network started in Almaty

Welcoming the participants of the summit, Almaty Mayor Bauyrzhan Baybek noted that thanks to the Almaty Declaration adopted 40 years ago, the issues of primary health care were identified as one of the main elements of the health care system as a whole.

“Today, more than 650 medical organizations work in our city, 70 of them are polyclinics of a wide profile. All public medical institutions operate in a digital format, equipped with modern equipment. The development of the economy contributed to improving the quality of life, as a result, the life expectancy of the population of Almaty is the highest in Central Asia. Today, the metropolis is a “regional magnet”, attractive for life, business, education, but also a city with high migration pressure, ”said Bauyrzhan Baybek.

Thus, according to experts' forecasts, by 2035 the population of Almaty will be more than 3 million people, that is, an increase of 30%. A growing population must be provided with high-quality jobs, the number of people using public transport should increase by 4 times, the number of pedestrians and cyclists - by 3 times. At the same time, the number of personal vehicles should remain at the current level - 600 thousand.

At the same time, in Almaty, the city environment is being systematically modernized according to the principle “A city for people”. The space for the main source of harmful emissions - a car - is being systematically narrowed; public transport, modern bicycle infrastructure, etc. are developing.

In the near future, the private sector of Almaty will be 100% gas supplied. This year, the waste sorting complex was launched using Italian technology, covering the entire city's need for recycling.

“Creating an innovative environmentally friendly environment, ensuring high quality education and health care following the example of OECD countries is our key priority. We are interested in the experience of other cities in solving such problems and, above all, in creating a high-quality, highly developed medical field. Such meetings promote the exchange of experience, the generation of new ideas, ”the mayor of the megalopolis noted.

In turn, the Regional Director of the WHO European Bureau, Zhuzhanna Yakab, emphasized that this event will allow discussing the difficulties that the health system faces in cities and develop a vision for the future activities of the Healthy Cities Network.

“We will certainly take into account the main promises of the summit. Moreover, the Almaty Statement of Mayors will be adopted tomorrow, demonstrating the commitment of cities to the implementation of network goals. This is the first step in the process of localizing the global declaration on primary health care to be adopted in Astana. I want to urge all leaders, both locally and globally, to display political leadership in an effort to ensure a healthy future for cities, ”added J.Jakab.

For two days, prominent scholars will hold speeches at the summit’s meetings, as well as meetings on topical issues, as well as bilateral meetings.