Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The modern development of healthcare in Uzbekistan is moving in the same direction with the best international trends, including current WHO recommendations. A clear indication of this was the next visit of a mission of WHO experts to the country, the final meeting of which took place at the Republican Specialized Scientific and Practical Medical Center for Maternal and Child Health.

The mission of the World Health Organization (WHO) included about 10 experts - specialists from different countries, who were in Uzbekistan from 8 to 19 April, visiting health care institutions of the maternal and child health system. An assessment was made of the activities of hospitals in Samarkand, Fergana regions, the Republic of Karakalpakstan and in Tashkent.

The visit was organized within the framework of the project “Ishonch-2030 to reduce preventable mortality of mothers and newborns in Uzbekistan,” which is being implemented with technical support from the WHO country office.

The results of a comprehensive assessment by WHO experts of the state of hospital care for mothers, newborns and children in Uzbekistan were presented at the Republican Center for Maternal and Child Health on 19 April.

When analyzing, in particular, the state of the obstetric service, WHO experts noted the friendly attitude of medical personnel towards women and the compliance of the created living conditions with existing standards. Recommendations were given to expand the practice of partner childbirth and introduce the 2020 WHO partograph, which is a tool for decision-making during obstetric care.

When monitoring the work of obstetricians and gynecologists, WHO experts emphasized full compliance with international standards of a number of national protocols on obstetric conditions, the availability of conditions for providing emergency medical care if necessary, as well as round-the-clock operation of laboratories in most hospitals. Here, further work is needed to reduce the number of caesarean sections, as well as the incidence of local use of drugs with unproven effectiveness.

One of the important recommendations of WHO representatives is full local compliance with the national clinical protocols (NCPs) in force in Uzbekistan. Not all specialists in the regions yet understand the importance of this, while these protocols were developed by the best specialists in the country with the involvement of international experts.

The Republican Center for Maternal and Child Health and medical universities of Uzbekistan constantly carry out a great deal of work in organizing training on NCP and monitoring their implementation. However, first of all, the application of modern knowledge in the field depends on the awareness of each doctor’s own responsibility for compliance with protocols.

WHO experts also gave recommendations on the development of NCP in new directions, which will certainly have a significant impact on improving the sphere of maternal and child health. Such work is carried out on an ongoing basis at the Republican Center and will be continued taking into account the results of this mission of the World Health Organization.