On 21 September, 2021 Turkmen human rights organizations sent an open letter to WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge with a request to comment on the epidemiologic situation in Turkmenistan as well as to call on the authorities of Turkmenistan to hand over biological samples of patients with COVID-19 symptoms for independent testing.
The appeal remained unanswered but on 7 October, 2021 Kluge said in his official Twitter account that he will pay a visit to Turkmenistan.
En #route to Turkmenistan joining health ministers & experts from the Region in intern.
forum on scientific health diplomacy.Opportunity to discuss with leadership @WHO_Europe collaboration on pandemic preparedness & control (IHR), #EPW, Central Asia Roadmap on health.
— Hans Kluge (@hans_kluge) October 6, 2021
“En route to Turkmenistan joining health ministers and experts from the Region in international forum on scientific health diplomacy. This is an opportunity to discuss with the leadership of Turkmenistan collaboration on pandemic preparedness and control”.
At the Cabinet session held on 1 October, 2021 Deputy Prime Minister overseeing science, education, healthcare and sports Sapardurdy Toilyev briefed the President on preparations to the international forum “Medical diplomacy as the basis for a healthy world” bringing together researchers and doctors, which is held in honour of the Day of Healthcare Practitioners and Medical Industry (celebrated on 10 October in Turkmenistan).
The official also reported that in the run-up to the holiday Turkmenistan plans to take part in an online conference in honour of World Hospice and Palliative Care Day, which is scheduled to be organized by the WHO.
The WHO mission, which spent 10 days in Turkmenistan, from 5 to 15 July 2021, did neither acknowledge nor denied COVID-19 cases in Turkmenistan at their final conference.
The WHO advised the authorities of Turkmenistan activating the critical public health measures in Turkmenistan, “as if COVID-19 was circulating”.
In August 2020 President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov allowed the WHO, which expressed serious concern about an increasing number of COVID19 negative pneumonia cases, to perform joint sampling and then send the samples for quality assurance to WHO reference laboratories outside Turkmenistan.
However, the mission has not paid the second visit to Turkmenistan.
When asked at a press conference held in January 2021 when the WHO visit to Turkmenistan will take place, WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge said that “it is rather unfortunate that as of today, we have not seen any concrete follow-up so far but I would like to assure you that we continue the open dialogue with the government of Turkmenistan including through the country office to follow up on these recommendations”, Kluge added.The post WHO Regional Director for Europe to visit Turkmenistan first appeared on Chronicles of Turkmenistan.