Combating water-related diseases and building capacities for public health care in Uzbekistan

ZEF launched its science-based capacity building project "HEALTHCAP" with the inception workshop ‘Working Together’ in Tashkent on April 3-4, 2014. The workshop aimed to strengthen research collaboration between ZEF and its partners in Uzbekistan.

The two-day workshop in Tashkent was co-organized by ZEF and attended by partners and experts from, among others, the Center for Epidemiology and Sanitary Surveillance (CESS), Ministry of Health, Republic of Uzbekistan.

Dr Baymetova Nasiba Xashimovna from the Ministry of Health of Uzbekistan provided an overall feedback to the project's concept. She suggested to choose case study districts that offer moderate incidents of diseases and a combination of socio-economic groups. She highlighted the importance of examining and visualizing water-related diseases from an integrated spatial perspective. She believes the research and information generated from the HEALTHCAP project will strengthen the CESS and its frontline polyclinics in the surveillance and monitoring of diseases in the district.

Prof. Roza Kamilova (Deputy Director, Research Institute for Sanitary, Hygiene and Occupational Diseases) provided a health scenario of Tashkent province and emphasized the need for an interdisciplinary approach to improve health research capacities.

Prof. Islam Usmanov (Research Institute for Irrigation and Water Problems) outlined his and his institute's long research experience in water quality research and indicated the water problems in Tashkent.

Dr. Saravanan Subramanian (project coordinator, ZEF senior researcher) highlighted the opportunities for strengthening research and higher education in Uzbekistan through the project.

Five doctoral students are to conduct their doctoral research in the context of the project: Ms Lola Isakova (epidemiology); Ms Laylo Basharova (social hygiene); Ms. Feruza Alimova (integrated risk assessment), Ms Minjung Cho (health research system) and Mr Shodiyor Usupov (health information system).

For more information on the HEALTHCAP program, have a look at the <link http: www.zef.de external-link-new-window external link in new>website.

HEALTHCAP is funded by Volkswagen Stiftung.