During the briefing with representatives of international organizations which was held on 22 April, 2020 Turkmenistan’s Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov refuted accusations that the Turkmen authorities are covering up the confirmed cases of coronavirus.
The next day it transpired that experts of the World Health Organization (WHO) are scheduled to pay a visit to Turkmenistan to verify first hand that there are no patients infected with coronavirus COVID-19 in the country.
According to sources of “Chronicles of Turkmenistan”, a meeting was then held with officials from Turkmenistan’s Ministry of Healthcare and Medical Industry, Foreign Ministry, Interior Ministry, the NSM and some other ministries and committees, including regional offices to discuss what measures might be undertaken to present Turkmenistan in the most favourable light.
The following proposals were considered:
To reduce the number of people being kept in quarantine zones by placing the majority under home quarantine so that district general practitioners can attend to them.
To move those who have tested positive and who have symptoms to military facilities since the WHO commission would then have no access to them. The disadvantage of this decision, however, is that local doctors would have to be given access to high security facilities.
In case the WHO representatives are too persistent one to two coronavirus patients might be shown to them, who would have allegedly been just identified.
As a result, a decision was made to temporarily relocate the infected patients to remote rural medical facilities in the velayats where quarantine zones will be set up.
Let us recall that “Chronicles of Turkmenistan” has previously reported that at least 7 patients who tested positive for coronavirus were undergoing treatment in the quarantine zone of Turkmenabat.
As of today, two of them have recovered.The rest are scheduled to be transferred to the psychiatric hospital in Garazhsyzky etrap (formerly, Boyunuzyn etrap).One of the departments in the psychiatric treatment facility is currently being converted to a quarantine unit.
Medical staff, who will be working in the hospital for 2 to 3 days during the visit of the WHO commission, are being trained.
The doctors working in the quarantine zone of Turkmenabat, will still be at their workplace to discuss their work with WHO experts.
According to some sources, there were more coronavirus cases.However, changes will be made in the medical reports of those who have recovered.Instead of coronavirus symptoms the recurrence of other diseases, gastrointestinal disorders, joint disorders, rather than acute respiratory viral infection, will be indicated in the medical files.
The prescribed medications will be replaced by other prescriptions appropriate for the amended diagnoses.