A meeting between representatives of the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan and the WHO country office took place at the UN building in Ashgabat. This was reported by the news website Turkmenportal.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the State Sanitary and Epidemiological Service, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection, and the State Customs, Migration and Border Services.

The participants finalised the draft National Action Plan for Public Health Emergencies at Points of Entry and discussed measures to improve response mechanisms. The development of standard operating procedures for coordinating actions at the border was also considered.

The meeting aimed to provide the Ministry of Health with advisory and technical support in accordance with the requirements of the International Health Regulations (IHR).

WHO experts at global and regional levels presented the key provisions of the IHR, shared experience of operations at points of entry in the European Region, and provided materials for conducting simulation exercises. WHO confirmed its readiness to continue providing technical support to Turkmenistan in the implementation of the IHR.