In Turkmenistan, a second group of national trainers has been certified in the ‘Guide for Monitoring Child Development’ (GMCD), which aims to improve the quality of services for young children. This was reported by the news website Turkmenportal, citing the UNICEF press service.

The new group of specialists is continuing the work begun after the certification of the first trainers in 2018 and is contributing to the expansion of early childhood development programmes throughout the country. The internationally recognised GMCD tool enables health workers to monitor the development of children from birth to 3.5 years of age and provide timely support to families.

The certification is the result of many years of cooperation between UNICEF, the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan and experts from Ankara University.

Since 2018, the GMCD has been gradually introduced into the primary health care system, including pilot projects, training of specialists and the development of early intervention services. The integration of the GMCD into educational programmes, clinical standards and national reporting systems is also being considered.