SКMA at the meeting of WHO Collaborating Centers

On February 1-2, 2023, the Regional Office for Europe of the World Health Organization in Copenhagen (Denmark) held a meeting of collaborating centers. The South Kazakhstan Medical Academy was invited to the meeting as part of the interaction. Head of the Department of "Emergency Medical Care and Nursing" A.A. Seidakhmetova in the section – "Central Asian Roadmap for strengthening nursing", she made a report: "Reforms of nursing education, research work", where information was given about the activities of the SKMA, the university multidisciplinary clinic, ongoing reforms in education, research in nursing. The participants asked a lot of questions about the ongoing reforms in Kazakhstan, the current state of nursing, the introduction of disciplines on the methodology of scientific research into the training programs of nursing specialists.

Maggie Langins, moderator of the meeting, noted the importance of WHO cooperation in the field of nursing and midwifery, and the need to expand the networks of WHO cooperation centers. The issue of applicants for expanding cooperation was considered. During two days, the participants of the meeting discussed issues of mental health, strengthening personnel in the field of mental health, care for patients with chronic diseases, rehabilitation of patients, strategic directions for strengthening nursing, unresolved problems and the next steps.

The World Health Organization is a special agency of the United Nations, consisting of 194 Member States, whose main function lies in solving international health problems of the world's population. It was founded in 1948 and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. WHO sets serious creative tasks for nurses, which are not limited to previous ideas about the role of a nurse as an ordinary performer who does not have the right to make independent decisions.

"Nursing" has been and remains among the priority issues in the work of the World Health Organization throughout all the years of its existence. The role and activities of nurses only within the framework of WHO headquarters have been the subject of consideration about 20 times at the statutory sessions of the highest governing bodies of WHO - the WHO Executive Committee and the World Health Assembly.
The Republic of Kazakhstan is part of the WHO European Region, consisting of 53 countries. WHO staff in the Region includes public health experts, scientists and technical specialists based in the Regional Office in Copenhagen, Denmark, five technical centers and country offices in 30 participating countries. WHO has been cooperating with the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan since 1994, when the WHO Country Office was opened.