Meeting of the Director of the Statistics Agency with the Head of the World Health Organization Representation in Tajikistan
The Director of the Statistics Agency under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Jamshid Nurmakhamadzoda, held a meeting with the Head of the World Health Organization (WHO) Representation in Tajikistan, Mr. Ilker Dastan.
During the meeting, the Director of the Statistics Agency spoke about the main directions of collecting statistical information and cooperation in the field of health statistics, particularly regarding household health expenditure data obtained from household budget surveys. The interaction and integration of the Agency with ministries and departments, especially in the area of health statistics, were also noted.
In this regard, the importance and necessity of technical and methodological support from the WHO Representation in Tajikistan were emphasized, particularly for training highly qualified personnel to manage health statistics and to develop Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) indicators.
Furthermore, the discussion covered the WHO initiative to conduct the World Health Survey Plus (WHS+), which is being carried out in many countries worldwide. It was noted that the specialists of the Statistics Agency reviewed the draft agreement on conducting this survey and, considering the requirements of the legislation of the Republic of Tajikistan, found it acceptable. The Agency expressed its readiness to sign the agreement in the coming days.
The World Health Survey Plus (WHS+) is an important study that will allow the collection of statistical data on maternal and child health, medical services, SDG indicators, and other health-related metrics, aimed at monitoring and evaluating relevant programs and strategies.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the WHO Representation expressed gratitude for the warm reception and substantive discussions with the Director of the Agency, noting their readiness to further expand cooperation.
Mr. Ilker Dastan also expressed appreciation for the willingness to sign the WHS+ agreement and once again stressed the goals, objectives, and significance of this study for the country. He added that, to determine the share of household expenditure on health, they are already conducting a joint analysis with the Statistics Agency and have obtained preliminary results. The WHO called on the Agency to intensify cooperation in developing SDG indicator 3.8.1 and to work together on collecting the necessary data.
