The XXXVIII meeting of the CIS Council for Cooperation in the Field of Healthcare was held in Dushanbe with the participation of the WHO Regional Director, Hans Kluge and the Kazakh delegation headed by Minister of Healthcare Akmaral Alnazarova.

The forum brought together heads of relevant agencies from CIS member states and leading experts to discuss the main areas of cooperation.

The agenda of the meeting focused on issues of regional integration in healthcare. The Kazakh side presented a number of initiatives aimed at strengthening collaboration, including:

• enhancing the role of primary health care (PHC);

• consolidating the efforts of CIS countries within the framework of the Global Coalition on PHC;

• implementing digital solutions and artificial intelligence technologies in healthcare.

In addition, Kazakhstan proposed designating the National Scientific Center for Health Development (NSCHD) as the CIS base organization on PHC issues. Kazakhstan’s initiatives received broad support from the participants and were included in the Council’s joint action plan.

The participants also discussed the Roadmap for Cooperation Development in Central Asia, to be implemented with the support of the WHO Regional Office for Europe. The document covers the modernization of primary health care, healthcare digitalization, and medical workforce development.

The Ministers of Healthcare of Kazakhstan and Tajikistan signed a memorandum opening new opportunities for long-term cooperation.

The joint action plan for 2026–2027 provides for the development of an interagency agreement in the field of healthcare, the organization of Kazakhstan Healthcare Days in Tajikistan in 2025, and Tajik Healthcare Days in Kazakhstan in 2026.

Planned initiatives also include student exchange programs for medical students, professional development courses for healthcare specialists, the use of the WHO Demonstration Platform on PHC in the Almaty region, and joint activities within the framework of the Global Coalition on Primary Health Care.

During the meeting, the participants discussed preparations for the Year of Health Protection in the CIS in 2026, coordination of efforts in implementing the “Public Health” strategy for 2024–2025, tuberculosis prevention measures, development of joint projects with Tajikistan in oncology, cardiology, and infection control, as well as the expansion of cooperation with the WHO Regional Office for Europe on chronic disease prevention and emergency response.

The next meeting of the CIS Council for Cooperation in the Field of Healthcare will be held in 2026.