Ashgabat, 3 April 2009 – Today, the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan in cooperation with United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Turkmenistan, has conducted the roundtable discussion on significant issues related to cesarean section.

This event, taking place in the Perinatal Center “Ene Myahri”, brings together health managers and specialists in the area of obstetrics and gynecology to review the findings of the previously organized monitoring visit to rural and urban areas of Balkan velayat (including Serdar, Balkanabat and Turkmenbashi cities) with participation of three highly qualified experts from the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry (MOHMI), Turkmen State Medical Institute and one of the leading clinics of Ashgabat City. This activity was conducted within the framework of the joint MOHMI and UNFPA project “Safe Motherhood” focused on strengthening the emergency obstetric care (EmOC) within the National Safe Motherhood Programme.

The roundtable participants also discussed the state of the cesarean section as a childbirth method, identified achievements and challenges in surgical approaches, and developed efficient recommendations for further improvement of the emergency obstetric care to ensure availability and high quality of cesarean section in every region and at all health care system levels.

“It is well-known that EmOC, and particularly the cesarean section, is a very significant part of the Safe Motherhood Programme. Cesarean section refers to the delivery of a baby through a surgical incision in the mother’s lower abdominal wall and uterus and is widely applied during complicated births” commented Gozel Hojaeva, UNFPA Safe Motherhood Project Associate. “The recommendations of today’s roundtable will be considered by the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry, UNFPA and other relevant organizations for further introduction into the clinical practices.”         

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UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is an international development agency that promotes the right of every woman, man and child to enjoy a life of health and equal opportunity. UNFPA supports countries in using population data for policies and programs to reduce poverty and to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, every young person is free of HIV/AIDS, and every girl and woman is treated with dignity and respect. 

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