From September 20 to 22, the city of Astana hosted the VII International Media Forum “ASTANA MEDIA WEEK 2023” with the participation of authoritative media experts, international and local journalists, representatives of press services of government bodies and organizations. It should also be noted the participation of press secretaries of territorial departments of the Committee for Sanitary and Epidemiological Control of the Ministry of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The media forum is being held for the seventh time, despite this, every year it surprises with its scope and this year was no exception, each forum participant gained new ideas and ample opportunities for promoting work. Experts shared their experiences in the development of new media taking into account global changes; the main leitmotif was the idea of developing the domestic media sphere - its compliance with the requirements of global trends.
Welcoming the forum participants, the Minister of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Aida Balaeva, noted that holding such meetings is an important step in the overall actions of modern TV and other rating media.
On the first day, speakers and participants discussed the main areas of activity and security of the media, prospects for the development and interaction of national and world regulators, advertising in the digital circuit of modern television.
The second day was devoted to the peculiarities of the work of journalists in the digital era: the speed and volume of information presented, competition in traditional and modern journalism. Such current issues as the development of artificial intelligence, the evolution of media values and new ethics were discussed. The logical conclusion of this day was the screening of the premiere of the film “Mirzhakyp. Oyan, Kazak! JSC RTRK "KAZAKHSTAN", none of the viewers remained indifferent to the film, many emphasized the masterly performance of the main character in the role of Mirzhakyp.
The third day was no exception; forum participants, namely representatives of press services, got acquainted with the tools of the information monitoring system for PR, learned about personal branding and crisis management in public relations. The day ended with the presentation of the “BEST PRESS SECRETARY” award.
On June 29-30 in Almaty, the Committee for Sanitary and Epidemiological Control of the Ministry of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan held a two-day seminar on issues of control over the activities of medical organizations.
The seminar was attended by representatives of the territorial departments of sanitary and epidemiological control of regions and cities of republican significance.
The participants of the seminar considered the issues of compliance with the disinfection and sterilization regime, collection, storage and disposal of medical waste, ensuring infection safety.
In addition, they discussed draft sanitary rules “Sanitary and epidemiological requirements for healthcare facilities”, rules for conducting preliminary and periodic medical examinations.
Also, within the framework of the WHO recommendation on the sterilization of medical devices, the issues of making changes and additions to the current regulatory legal acts were discussed.
Based on the results of the seminar, recommendations were given on issues of control over the activities of medical organizations.
Reservoirs of the 2nd category (beaches) are objects of high epidemiological significance and their operation requires the presence of permits, i.e. sanitary and epidemiological conclusion (SEC).
To obtain a SEC for a beach, it is necessary to send an application through the E-licensing portal and provide protocols for laboratory studies of water from reservoirs for microbiological, sanitary-chemical and parasitological indicators, soil.
In order to ensure the safety of the population, the sanitary service regularly monitors the quality.
In addition, individuals and legal entities operating beaches are required to organize production control over the quality of water and soil by concluding agreements with accredited laboratories / testing centers or departmental laboratories.
Representatives of the Ministry of Healthcare as part of the Kazakh delegation took part in the international meeting on the development of the One Health Framework Program agreed in the Joint Communiqué "Protecting food systems, preventing future pandemics in Central Asia", which was held on June 4-7, 2023 in Samarkand (The Republic of Uzbekistan).
The event, organized with the support of the World Bank for Development, FAO, the World Organization for Animal Health, the United Nations Development Program and others, was also attended by delegations from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
The purpose of the meeting is to ensure pandemic preparedness and control the spread of animal-to-human diseases and food safety. The main objectives of the event were to identify pandemic preparedness, resilience of food systems and competitiveness of agriculture and trade as high-level common goals that can be helped by the One Health approach.
The importance of the regional meeting was to address the environmental aspects of priority issues, including climate change, biodiversity, land and water resources, and to include integrated action plans at the country and regional levels to address the priorities. In addition, during the event, the participants identified the end points for which they will have to allocate and attract international donors for the implementation of this project.
The participants of the international meeting came to the conclusion that it is necessary to transmit a communiqué to the highest state authorities of the countries, to attract investments to solve the above-mentioned problems common to all Central Asian countries, as well as to develop common standards, methods of prevention and control measures in emergencies.
In addition, a single document on the relationship and interaction between the countries of Central Asia and common standards for diseases common to humans and animals will be developed.
From May 29 to June 2, 2023, Aktau is hosting the Subregional Training Workshop on the International Health Regulations (2005): a framework for assessing core capacity requirements at designated airports, seaports and ground crossings. The event was attended by representatives of national public health authorities, customs and border services of the countries of Central Asia and Azerbaijan, experts from the Regional European Bureau of the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Organization for Migration at the UN, the General Directorate of Border and Coastal Health of Turkey and other international organizations.
The subregional workshop was organized by the Ministry of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan in cooperation with the WHO Country Office in Kazakhstan.
At the workshop, participants discussed the use by States Parties of a mechanism for responding to biological threats at points of entry at airports, seaports and ground crossings in accordance with the International Health Regulations (IHR). In addition, country representatives shared their experience of measures taken to prevent the importation and spread of infectious diseases among the population in accordance with the IHR and experience in combating COVID-19.
The trainees also got acquainted with the WHO guidelines on the certification of airports and seaports, on the inspection of ships and the issuance of ship sanitary certificates. WHO recommendations were practically applied in the exercises during the workshop.
Based on the results of familiarization with the activities of the sanitary and epidemiological service for the implementation of sanitary and quarantine control at the Aktau International Airport and the Aktau seaport, WHO experts and seminar participants noted the high readiness to respond to public health emergencies and the level of interdepartmental interaction of all control services at points of entry.
Based on the results of the seminar, the Ministry of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan plans to conduct an internal assessment at the country's checkpoints for compliance with the IHR, develop standard operating procedures for cross-border cooperation, improve the skills of specialists at sanitary quarantine points and conduct interdepartmental trainings for authorized bodies at checkpoints.
Today, Astana hosted the 11th Kazakhstan International Conference on Labor Protection and Industrial Safety with the participation of representatives of government agencies, medical universities, industrial enterprises and international organizations.
The Chairman of the Committee for Sanitary and Epidemiological Control of the Ministry of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan Sadvakasov N.O. took part in the work of the conference and made a report on the issues of preventive medicine.
In his speech, he presented the risk-oriented aspect of the preventive policy in the field of labor protection and industrial safety, with an emphasis on preventive medicine as the basis of occupational health.
“A risk-based approach includes a preliminary assessment of risks, the development of risk management strategies, and ongoing monitoring and evaluation. Preventive medicine and a risk-based approach play a key role in labor protection and industrial safety,” the Head of the Committee emphasized.
On May 17, in accordance with the training plan for employees of the territorial divisions of the Committee, a seminar was held on the provision of public services "Issuance of a certificate of a specialist in the field of sanitary and epidemiological welfare of the population."
At the seminar, the employees of the territorial departments responsible for this type of activity discussed the issues of certification of a healthcare specialist, explained the procedure for providing the state service "Issuing a certificate of a specialist in the field of sanitary and epidemiological welfare of the population."
Employees of the territorial departments asked questions and received answers on issues that arose in the course of work related to obtaining a specialist certificate.
As a result of the seminar, the territorial departments were given a number of recommendations regarding compliance with the requirements of the legislation in the field of public services.
Food safety saves lives. Not only is it an essential component of food security, but it also plays a vital role in reducing foodborne illness.
World Food Safety Day is an important occasion for:
- informing the public about food safety issues;
- demonstrating how to prevent disease through food safety;
- discussion of joint approaches to improve food safety in different sectors;
- promoting solutions and ways to improve food safety.
In this regard, FAO and WHO will host a high-level hybrid event on 7 June to learn how food safety standards can save lives. The event will expand on this year's World Food Safety Day theme "Food Standards Save Lives". Register for the event: https://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/world-food-safety-day/wfsd-homepage/en/
In the period from June 1 to June 14, a decade of events dedicated to the World Food Safety Day will be held in all regions of the republic.
The results of the decade will be discussed at a round table meeting, which will be held on June 14 with the support of the Committee for Sanitary and Epidemiological Control of the Ministry of Healthсare of the Republic of Kazakhstan with the participation of government agencies, international organizations (FAO, WHO, OIE), academia, manufacturers.
All information materials for events: https://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/world-food-safety-day/advocacy-material/en/
On May 10-11, in Astana, organized by the WHO Regional Office in Europe, a National technical meeting (seminar) on the introduction of vaccination against the human papillomavirus (HPV) in Kazakhstan was held with the participation of the Vice Minister of Healthcare - Chief State Sanitary Doctor of the Republic of Kazakhstan A. Esmagambetova and the leadership of the Committee. The event was attended by public relations specialists from healthcare organizations, members of the Republican working group on the introduction of the HPV vaccine, specialists from the oncology service, maternal and child healthcare, experts from WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, CDC.
The purpose of the workshop was to develop a Communication Plan for the introduction of the HPV vaccine with a study of the target groups. In this regard, it was important to study crisis communications as part of an overall communications plan.
During the event, the attention of the participants was drawn to the planning of communications work depending on the target groups, the formation of a pool of speakers for outreach work, as well as a pool of lecturers for training medical specialists.
The speakers shared the results of a study of the attitude of the population of Kazakhstan to the HPV vaccine and practical recommendations for improving communication with the population regarding this vaccine. The participants also discussed in detail each action of the communication plan and how to develop it. In addition, experts from neighboring countries (including Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan) shared their experience in introducing HPV vaccination in their country.
The outcome of the event was proposals for a draft communication plan for the introduction of the HPV vaccine, including a description of the target groups and communication methods according to the characteristics of these groups.
This year European Immunization Week takes place April 23-29 under the slogan “The Big Catch Up”. This time we pay attention to the general decrease in the level of vaccination, as well as the need for vaccination for children.
Thanks to vaccination, millions of people around the world can save lives and save from disability.
The epidemiological situation for vaccine-preventable infections in Kazakhstan is stable. Over the past 30 years, thanks to the National Immunization Policy, a decrease in the incidence of:
- whooping cough - more than 300 times (from 1,117 cases in 1992 to isolated cases (3 cases) in 2022);
- mumps - more than 1000 times (from 11,075 cases in 1992 to 11 cases in 2022);
- viral hepatitis A - more than 140 times (from 45,196 cases in 1992 to 317 cases in 2022);
- viral hepatitis B among the population has been reduced by 76 times (from 4799 in 1992 to 63 cases in 2022).
A consistently low incidence rate is maintained with the registration of isolated cases:
- poliomyelitis - from 6 cases in 1992 to zero since 1996;
- diphtheria - from 45 cases in 1992 to zero since 2009;
- tetanus - from 11 cases in 1992 to zero in 2022;
- rubella - from 16,775 cases in 1992 to zero in 2022.
It is important to remember that a person's health is in his own hands, and in terms of infectious diseases it also depends on the environment. Without special prevention, the likelihood of getting sick is very high, therefore the Committee for Sanitary and Epidemiological Control of the Ministry of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan urges everyone to take care of their health and the health of others, to receive vaccinations on time according to the National Immunization Schedule.
You can get information on vaccinations on the website https://egu.kz/.