A presentation on FAST Heroes implementation in Kazakhstan this week concluded a conference dedicated to children’s health hosted by WHO Kazakhstan, UNICEF Kazakhstan, and the Ministry of Health.
The Health and Well-Being of Every Child: Modern Strategies for Protecting Children’s Health conference was also attended by the ministers of health of Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.
It was a great honor to be included in the conference program and to present before such a distinguished audience, says Lev Prystupiuk, Angels consultant for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
The conference opened by Aida Galymovna Balaeva, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan, with welcome speeches by WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO regional director for Europe Hans Henri Kluge, and Octavian Bivol, who is acting regional director of UNICEF for Europe and Central Asia.
These were followed by short speeches by children and adolescents with key messages about what is important for their health and well-being, namely accessibility of care, a safe school and digital environment, protection from violence and bullying, respectful treatment, and participation of children in decisions that concern them.
The Astana Call to Action was then signed by the ministers of health of the participating countries, and representatives of the WHO and UNICEF.
Sessions throughout the afternoon covered topics such as the reduction of inequalities in early development and primary health care, mental well-being and digital protection in schools, adolescent-friendly services and access to reproductive health, and implementation of ‘Salamatty Mektep’ – the Health-Promoting Schools program of the National Center for Public Health.
The discussion on the implementation of the FAST Heroes stroke awareness education project in Kazakhstan also featured Dr. Yerzhan Adilbekov, National Angel Initiative Coordinator in Kazakhstan, Chairman of the Board of the National Coordination Center for Emergency Medicine, and Chairman of the Kazakh Stroke League, and Assel Adaeva, National Coordinator of the FAST Heroes project in Kazakhstan.
Earlier this month, stroke awareness in Kazakhstan was boosted by extensive media coverage of two milestone events – the first Angels Initiative Train the Trainer event in Central Asia, and a celebration in Aktobe of the first four Angels Regions in the country.
