Event highlight
17 July 2024
On the eve of Medical Worker Day in Kazakhstan, a 2-day conference on infection prevention and control was held in Astana on 13–14 June 2024. The event was organized by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan and WHO with the support of USAID and the Pandemic Fund.
The aims of the conference were to:
- discuss progress with implementation of the main components of infection prevention and control (IPC) programmes in connection with the WHO European Roadmap for Health and Well-Being in Central Asia (2022–2025);
- discuss the implementation of evidence-based IPC practices in Kazakhstan;
- present the results of a national survey on the prevalence of health-care-associated infections (HCAIs) and antimicrobial use in hospitals in Kazakhstan; and
- identify priority issues that need to be addressed and further steps to improve IPC and antimicrobial practices throughout the country.
“Infection prevention and control, or IPC, is a critical component of quality health care and a key element of emergency preparedness and response. A large percentage of health-care-associated infections can be prevented with effective IPC measures. Therefore, together with the Ministry of Health, we are working to strengthen the capacity of medical institutions in the regions of Kazakhstan by creating clinics with the best IPC practices and providing support in training specialists,” noted Dr Skender Syla, WHO Representative in Kazakhstan, during his speech at the conference.
Event notice
The WHO Country Office in Kazakhstan and Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Health is bringing together 200 health-care workers from all 20 regions of the Republic of Kazakhstan for its national IPC (infection prevention and control) conference.
The conference will be held in Astana city 13–14 June 2024. The aims of the conference are to discuss progress with implementation of the main components of IPC programmes in connection with the WHO European Roadmap for Health and Well-Being in Central Asia (2022–2025); discuss the implementation of evidence-based IPC practices in Kazakhstan; present the results of a national survey on the prevalence of health-care-associated infections and antimicrobial use in hospitals in Kazakhstan; and identify priority issues that need to be addressed and further steps to improve IPC and antimicrobial practices throughout the country.