HEALTH PROFESSIONALS OF CENTRAL ASIA AND INTERNATIONAL EXPERTS DISCUSSED ISSUES OF CHILD AND ADOLESCENT HEALTH

On August 20, 2020 the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan with support from the Regional and Country Offices of the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) hosted a web conference on child and adolescent health during the time of COVID-19.

The conference was attended by healthcare professionals of Central Asian countries as well as of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Germany, Russian Federation and UK aimed at sharing experiences and discussing the challenges of ensuring adequate health care for children during COVID-19 pandemic in Central Asia.

At the opening of the conference UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia Afshan Khan, WHO Regional Child and Adolescent Health Programme Manager Martin Weber and Deputy Minister of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan Chary Agamyradov made their presentations.

During the conference, experts in the field of child and adolescent healthcare discussed global, regional and country experiences in providing adequate health care for children during COVID-19. They, in particular, focused on epidemiology and clinical management of children with COVID-19, continuity of essential services, including for children with chronic diseases, effects of lockdown on children and adolescents and transition back to normal health care services after the pandemic and addressing nutrition aspects in schools and health facilities.