Kazakhstan’s experience in COVID-19 management was presented to European ministers of health
Vice Minister of Healthcare and Chief State Sanitary Doctor of Kazakhstan Yerlan Kiyasov shared Kazakhstan's experience in an online meeting on "The situation with COVID-19 in the European Region: analysis of lessons learned and further actions", organized by the WHO...
Russian Ministry of Healthcare is expanding coverage and access to medicines under Medicines-2025 strategy
Minister of Healthcare of the Russian Federation Mikhail Murashko held a meeting of the Board of the Ministry on provision of medicines. This committee regularly meets to ensure population access and coverage of medicines, including regularly expanding the list of...
Mongolian Rural Healthcare embraced UpToDate national app for clinical decision support
The State Policy on Health of Mongolia for 2017-2026 aims to mainstream universal health care and bring the quality of health care in the country to international standards. In 2021 the Ministry of Health, with support from Wolters Kluwer Health, introduced a...
Pricing the national health insurance scheme in Qatar – opportunities and challenges
In 2013, the Kingdom of Qatar introduced a national health insurance scheme called ‘Seha’. It is regulated by the Supreme Council of Health (SCH) through the country’s National Health Insurance Company. This paper outlines the SHC’s health insurance pricing approach...
Demand for health services rises in Qatar
This article from the Health chapter of The Report: Qatar 2020, lays out the structure of the health system in Qatar and its focus on public investment that has improved access to and demand for health services. It provides an assessment of the Ministry of Public...
Mozambique to review health taxes in view of rising NCD prevalence
The Mozambican Ministry of Finance is preparing a reform of the Specific Consumption Tax (ICE),which includes taxes on tobacco, alcohol, sugar-sweetened beverages, cars, and other consumption goods. The country operates in the SADC tax harmonization framework,...
Vaccination against COVID with a booster dose is rolled out in Uzbekistan
Voluntary vaccination with a booster dose (revaccination with a single-component) against coronavirus is being rolled out in Uzbekistan. "In accordance with the instructions of the Chief State Sanitary Doctor of the Republic of Uzbekistan, in order to boost the...
Europe’s expertise in COVID-19 contact tracing well utilized in Kyrgyzstan
WHO/Europe has been collecting and sharing best practices in contact tracing from countries of the WHO European Region and documenting a variety of approaches to develop case studies and to contribute to future guidelines and recommendations. Dr Richard Pebody,...
More than 100 000 Estonians received a COVID-19 vaccine booster dose
Over 100 thousand Estonian citizens received at least one booster dose of the coronavirus vaccine. This was stated in the press service of the Ministry of Social Affairs of the country. "In Estonia, at least one booster dose of the vaccine against COVID-19 was...
WHO-facilitated access to European reference labs was vital in confirming COVID-19 cases
According to WHO/Europe news, throughout the pandemic, WHO reference laboratories have played a vital role in the confirmation of COVID-19 cases. They are mainly used when countries do not have the capacity to do all the testing they need themselves and when...
Azerbaijan is working on developing a domestic vaccine against COVID-19
Research has begun in Azerbaijan on the creation of a domestic vaccine against coronavirus, regional media report with reference to Ramin Bayramli, Chairman of the Board of the Association for Management of Medical Territorial Subdivisions (TƏBIB) - branch of the...
Pharmacies in Moldova act as a reliable source of information on COVID-19 vaccination
Over 300 pharmacists and 110 pharmacies are at the centre of a new awareness-raising campaign on COVID-19 vaccination in the Republic of Moldova. Launched on 24 September 2021 by the Ministry of Health and the Association of Pharmacists, the campaign is supported by...
Saudi Arabia to provide free COVID-19 vaccines in pharmacies
Saudi Arabia will provide coronavirus vaccines in pharmacies around the Kingdom for free as part of its efforts to expand the ongoing inoculation campaign and facilitate access to vaccine sites, he added. The doses will be given to people according to priority...
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman orders free COVID 19 treatment for all, including visa violators
Saudi Arabia's King Salman has ordered coronavirus treatment to be available, free of charge, for all citizens and expatriates in need of medical care, including people who have overstayed their visas in the Kingdom. The government urged all of those showing symptoms...
EU-funded project supported COVID-19 response in six Eastern Partnership countries, including Moldova
A 35 million euro grant from the European Union (EU) has strengthened COVID-19 response and saved lives in 6 countries in the WHO European Region. Over the course of 1.5 years, the funds have helped deliver nearly 12 million units of personal protective equipment,...