Towards Universal Health Coverage
The European Union (EU), German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in cooperation with the State Institution “Republican Educational and Clinical Center of Family Medicine” (RECCFM) of the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Tajikistan conducted series of events dedicated to the World Health Day (WHD).
The activities of the RECCFM are supported by “BaSIC – Building a System on Integrated Primary Health Care in Tajikistan” project, co-financed by the EU and BMZ and implemented by GIZ.
The BaSIC project is part of the Health Development Program of the European Union in the Republic of Tajikistan for the period 2021-2025.
Health, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. According to WHO, human health is determined by environmental factors, heredity, lifestyle, as well as on the healthcare system. As the wealth of society increases, the main health risks are shifting towards behavioural factors: smoking, drinking alcohol, sedentary lifestyle, high cholesterol.
April 7th – World Health Day.
World Health Day is a global health awareness day celebrated every year on April 7th, under the sponsorship of the World Health Organization (WHO), as well as other related organizations. In 1948, the WHO held the First World Health Assembly. The slogan “Health for all” has been a guiding vision for more than seven decades. Therefore, every year the World Health Day is held under a specific slogan and is meant to raise the awareness about ongoing health issues that concern people across the world. The day is also used as an opportunity to spread awareness about the overall health and well-being of people.
Why is health so important? A healthy society impacts the economic growth of a country. This is due to the reduction of production loss and the decrease of workers illnesses. But it also increases the productivity of adult as a result of better nutrition, the reduction of death toll from diseases. It also lowers absenteeism rates and improves learning among school children.
However, traditionally, throughout the world, the outreach programs are designed and conducted for a much longer period than the health day itself.
Thus, within its framework, the BaSIC Project supported the RECCFM to conduct a series of public events dedicated to the World Health Day.
In anticipation of World Health Day, on April 6th, 2022 the BaSIC Project supported the RCTCFM financially, to conduct a round table with family medicine trainers and medical workers, to discuss achievements, barriers and further steps towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
Universal health coverage (UHC) means that all people have access to the health services, when and where they need them, without financial hardship. It includes the full range of essential health services, from health promotion to prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and palliative care.
Achieving UHC was one of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), 2000 - 2015. However, this goal was reaffirmed by many countries at the United Nations General Assembly in 2019 and is now part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), 2015 - 2030.
Improving the health coverage and health outcomes depends on the availability and accessibility of health facilities, its medical staff and their ability to deliver high quality and people-centred integrated health care services. According to the WHO, over 18 million additional health workers need to be mobilized globally to meet the health workforce needs to achieve the SDGs and UHC by 2030.
On April 7th the BaSIC Project supported the RECCFM in organizing and conducting the Youth Campaign for school children.
As part of the event, a quiz on health issues and session on healthy lifestyle were conducted. There were interesting discussions about healthy food and existing trends towards fast food. The percentage of obesity is increasing rapidly, which affects the health status among the entire population. Schoolchildren were presented with WHO nutrition recommendations, which include maintaining proper energy metabolism and normal weight, switching from saturated to unsaturated fats, avoiding trans-unsaturated fats, as well as to increase the consumption of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and whole grain foods. To limit the intake of sugar and iodized salt was also a topic. School children and teachers were trained to determine and calculate Body Mass Index (BMI), and to determine their own BMI.
According to the WHO, the main and most important component of health is regular physical activity. Physical activity includes any kind of movement – walking, dancing, playing, sport. In modern world, physical inactivity is one of the main reasons for non-communicable diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and heart diseases.
As part of the event, a Health-Exhibition was organized with information and educational materials.
For further details, please contact: Dr. S. Rajabzoda, Director of the RECCFM, at smiraliev@mail.ru or at telephone numbers +992 37 221-07-06, mob.: +992 93-196-43-34, 98-528-79 -97.
