(MENAFN- AzerNews)
By Sabina Mammadli
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the
Azerbaijani Ministry of Health and the National Confederation of
Entrepreneurs (Employers) Organizations of Azerbaijan in Baku on
July 1, Azernews reports.
The document was signed by Minister of Health Teymur Musayev and
Vice President of National Confederation of Entrepreneurs Vugar
Zeynalov.
The MoU will cement cooperation between the state and private
sector and contribute to its further development.
Public-private partnership
A total of 15 million medical services were provided in the
public and private sectors of Azerbaijan from January through May
2022, Board Chairman of the Azerbaijani State Agency on Mandatory
Health Insurance Zaur Aliyev said.
The remarks were made during public discussions on 'Business
Prospects in Healthcare Sphere” on July 1.
Noting that significant reforms have been carried out in the
country over the past 10 years, Aliyev specified that the
possibilities of private medicine and the legal framework
regulating its activities have been expanded.
“We are working in the field of partial transfer of mandatory
health insurance to the private sector. In this direction, we held
relevant meetings in Türkiye and got acquainted with the experience
of this country,' he noted.
He also pointed out that in Azerbaijan the state gives support
to private clinics with the provision of relevant equipment.
'Within just five months of 2022, 45 tenders for the purchase of
medical equipment were held in the country. Small and medium
businesses' representatives were the winners of these tenders,' the
official added.
Speaking at the conference, Health Minister Teymur Musayev noted
that public-private partnership in the field of healthcare and
business is one of the promising sectors for the further
development of medicine.
According to Musayev, the private healthcare sector in
Azerbaijan is rapidly growing and developing.
'Nearly 1,400 business entities operate in the area of medicine
in Azerbaijan. State support for the private sector contributed to
the growth of their number,' he noted.
Furthermore, the minister added that the private sector also
favors the development of education in the field of medicine. He
noted that today, most graduates of medical universities work in
private clinics, and to ensure the quality of provided medical
services the state conducts appropriate control.
Similarly, Board Chairman of Small and Medium Business
Development Agency Orkhan Mammadov said that Azerbaijani SMBDA has
successful experience in creating sub-sectors in the medical
field.
'The agency, together with Gill Med LLC, based on a
public-private partnership model, supported the creation of
enterprises in Gobu settlement and Zangilan region (Aghali village)
for the production of medical textiles, sterile surgical kits, and
overalls,” Mammadov said.
Further, he added that these enterprises manufacture outerwear
and overalls for medical staff and patients, sterile surgical and
dental kits, medical masks, medical gowns, headwear, and several
other medical textile products.
“Since this project is focused not only on business but also on
the social sphere, 90 percent of the employees of enterprises are
citizens from vulnerable groups of the population,' the official
added.
Monkeypox
During the same event, the health minister also informed that
Azerbaijan has become one of the first countries to apply to the
World Health Organization to obtain tests for the detection of the
monkeypox virus.
According to Musayev, these tests have already been officially
transferred to the head of the WHO office in Azerbaijan.
'They will be delivered to Azerbaijan in the next two to three
days,' he added.
Further, he added that no cases of monkeypox have been detected
in Azerbaijan.
Noting that the virus is transmitted through close contact
between a healthy person and an infected person, he stressed that
it has its specific symptoms and is detected based on the results
of laboratory tests.
The minister also said that it's not planned to conduct
vaccination against monkeypox in Azerbaijan.
'This follows the strategy of the World Health Organization and
there is currently no need for a monkeypox vaccine,' he added.
No specific measures related to monkeypox are envisaged at the
border crossing points of Azerbaijan either.
'Azerbaijan completely follows these decisions and
recommendations,' Musayev said.
COVID-19
Additionally, the health minister informed that phase III
clinical trials of the Turkish-manufactured Turkovac COVID-19
vaccine have commenced in Azerbaijan.
He noted that the results achieved so far are positive.
'We'll be making a full statement after getting the lab test
results conducted by Türkiye,' Musayev said.
Later, he noted that Azerbaijan successfully continues the
process of vaccination against COVID-19.
According to him, 90 percent of risk group citizens have already
been vaccinated.
“These people even received a booster dose of the vaccine. I am
glad that the civil responsibility of our citizens is at a high
level. According to the statistics of vaccination of the population
in total, this figure is about 74 percent,” Musayev
highlighted.
Further, Musayev noted that there should be taken necessary
measures for the autumn season by the WHO recommendations as the
coronavirus brings new surprises every time.
“We can talk about the end of the pandemic if we will go through
the autumn season without a significant increase in COVID-19
cases,' Musayev added.
The minister noted that people often attend mass events in
summer, and there is a relative increase in the number of COVID-19
cases and added that currently, the epidemiological situation in
Azerbaijan is stable.
'There are practically no complications. The number of
hospitalizations is quite low to date, the epidemiological
situation is under full control. Appropriate steps will be taken if
there is any significant increase in COVID-19 cases,' Musayev
said.
Talking on the matter, the SMBDA chairman stressed that the
first days of the COVID-19 pandemic showed the dependence of our
country on the supply of most needed medical supplies.
According to him, high duties on imported goods lead to an
increase in the cost of services.
'We consider it necessary to take support measures to replace
the import of medicines, medical equipment, and other drugs into
the country, to stimulate the production of these products by local
entrepreneurs,” Mammadov said.
Moreover, he noted that it is proposed to introduce progressive
PPP (Public Private Partnership) models, and the development of
benefit mechanisms, taking into account the fact that this area is
science-intensive and financially intensive.
“Registration of products imported into the country by
entrepreneurs sometimes leads to large losses of time. The period
of testing products in the relevant laboratories leads to its
deterioration, additional loss of time, and other costs,” he
added.
Then Mammadov proposed optimizing interdepartmental coordination
and stimulating the creation of private laboratories in this
regard.
--
Sabina Mammadli is AzerNews' staff journalist, follow her on
Twitter: @SabinaMmdl
Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
- Tags:
- Health Minister
- COVID-19
- monkeypox
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