Turkmenistan, Ashgabat – everything that connects me with my little homeland is far from empty words for me. It is a vital part of life, a time when a person is shaped, when interests and character are formed, when a broad foundation of knowledge is built, and when one becomes acquainted with genuine life values. It is deeply important and meaningful to me that these formative years of my life were spent in Ashgabat, among attentive, kind and intelligent people, in an atmosphere of openness, sincerity and goodwill.
Having chosen my life and professional path and leaving my native Ashgabat, I nevertheless never forgot the roots of my biography and always followed developments in my homeland with keen interest, sincerely rejoicing in the successes and achievements of modern Turkmenistan. Naturally, above all else, I have always been drawn to the subject of medicine – the profession to which I have devoted my life.
Last year, Turkmenistan remained in the spotlight of the international community due to a number of significant events associated with the International Year of Peace and Trust, as well as the 30th anniversary of the country’s permanent neutrality status. The central event of the year – the Ashgabat Peace Forum, timed to coincide with the anniversary date – brought together in the capital of Turkmenistan many distinguished world leaders, including the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin.
I followed with great interest everything that was happening in Ashgabat and at a certain point caught myself thinking that a seemingly pure political topic – one that should theoretically be far from my professional field of medicine – was in fact directly connected with public health, and here is why.
The principles of neutrality, initially adopted by Turkmenistan as the primary instrument of its foreign policy, very soon became fundamental across virtually all areas of state activity, including the most important social sphere. Political scientists, sociologists, historians and philosophers identify, each from their own perspective, numerous objective reasons explaining why this process unfolded precisely this way.
For my part, I cannot but note an obvious and indisputable fact. The principal “architect” of the processes that shaped the country during its most critical historical period was a certified physician – by definition a representative of the most humane profession on Earth, one in which every practitioner takes an oath to serve humanity. Yes, I am referring to the individual who served for many years as President of the country and is now the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Khalk Maslakhaty, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.
There is no doubt that the social dimension of the state policy of neutrality and its most important component – the national healthcare system – received such intensive and well structured development largely due to the professional expertise of the country’s leader.
Among the most significant steps taken by the country within the framework of its neutrality policy was the initiation and development of the national “Health” program. It is important to note that the concept of “health of the nation” embedded in this program implied the creation of an integrated system of physical, spiritual and moral development, implanting healthy lifestyle principles into public consciousness, and the formation of a culture in which citizens regard their health as an unquestionable national value.
Enhancing the efficiency, accessibility and quality of medical services, ensuring sanitary and epidemiological well being and creating a healthy environment are the primary objectives of the state program. Over the three decades of the program’s implementation, extensive work has been carried out, making it possible to improve public health and increase average life expectancy. More than one hundred medical facilities have been built and commissioned across the country, including modern international standard clinics, hospitals, medical centres and health houses throughout Turkmenistan.
Owing to their advanced technical equipment, the new healthcare facilities have been brought to the forefront of medical science and practice. As for the equipment used in Turkmen clinics and healthcare institutions, it features high technology systems supplied by leading manufacturers from Germany, France, Italy, Japan, the United States, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Switzerland, China and a number of other countries.
Among the priorities of the national healthcare system is the introduction of advanced medical technologies and global scientific achievements into clinical practice, which in turn has required the expansion of international partnerships and extensive exchange of experience with foreign specialists.
I know this not from hearsay, because three years ago I myself had the opportunity to take part in a professional exchange program with Turkmen colleagues. As a member of a group of Russian physicians, I once again visited Ashgabat, a city so dear to my heart, and spent several days in intensive discussions with Turkmen colleagues whose professional qualifications are remarkably high.
For me, as for the other Russian physicians who visited Ashgabat, it became clear that the years of independence have been a period of qualitative growth for Turkmenistan’s healthcare based on the large-scale application of innovative technologies and advanced professional methods in diagnosis, treatment and disease prevention, the continuous upgrading of medical specialists’ qualifications, and large scale international cooperation with leading physicians from the world’s foremost medical centres.
I am aware that Turkmen doctors regularly undertake advanced training placements in leading clinics in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Russia, Israel, Japan and other developed countries. They participate actively in international congresses within their respective specialties, become acquainted with the latest achievements of world medicine and introduce them into their own practice.
Broad international cooperation with leading international organizations and the United Nations agencies is another important component of development of the national “Health” program. I am well informed that in recent years Turkmenistan has successfully implemented a number of joint projects and programs with the United Nations in many different areas of public health improvement. The tangible achievements of Turkmen healthcare are also confirmed by numerous certificates from the World Health Organization.
The health level of a nation has always been one of the key indicators of effectiveness of state policy as a whole. This became especially evident in the post pandemic years, when the world faced serious challenges that affected not only people’s health, but also the global economy. Turkmenistan’s healthcare system – focused on adopting best practices and innovative technologies – has made it possible not only to preserve the stability and resilience of medical care, but also to minimize the impact of the global crisis on the country’s economy.
People’s health is far more than the availability of spacious clinics, advanced equipment and an army of highly qualified specialists. What matters is enhancing personal awareness, acquiring a positive outlook on life and total rejection of harmful habits. And in these spheres, Turkmenistan has much to be proud of. In recent years, tobacco consumption in the country has decreased significantly, and undeniable progress has been made in combating drug addiction and other harmful habits. Today – and I have seen this with my own eyes – the younger generation chooses a healthy, active way of life. Engaging in sport is becoming prestigious and even fashionable.
However, to achieve such changes in public consciousness, it was necessary to solve a complex set of tasks – social, economic and educational. Care of citizens’ health and healthy way of life is reflected not only in state programs and legislation, in the scale of construction of medical facilities and sports venues, in the development of the sanatorium and resort network, but also in the very processes of public life, enhancement of people’s spiritual and cultural level and introduction of modern environmental standards into the national economy.
And in this area, the policy of neutrality occupies a leading place, having become among other things a synonym for a humane attitude toward people and the most precious thing they have - their health.