The WHO Representative in Mongolia, Dr Soe Nyunt U and the Senior Programme Coordinator Dr Woojin Lew met with the newly appointed Minister of Heath, Dr Tsogtsetseg Ayush, last Friday.
Dr Soe Nyunt U congratulated the Minister with the appointment and briefed the new Minister on the recently signed United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) 2017-2021 for Mongolia, a document that is designed as an integrated programme to help the country to attain the Sustainable Development Goals-based “Mongolia’s Sustainable Development Vision – 2030”. The WHO Representative also briefed the new Minister on the progress of development of the third Country Cooperation Strategy 2017-2020 that provides a medium-term strategic vision for WHO cooperation with Mongolia supporting the country's national health policies, strategies and plans. “We have attempted to synchronise the CCS document with the four years election cycle in Mongolia to increase the effectiveness of WHO support to Mongolia,” noted Dr Soe Nyunt U. The CCS 2017-2020 final drafting is planned in August-September followed by a consultative discussion between the Ministry of Health, WHO Representative’s Office in Mongolia, WHO Western Pacific Regional Office, local counterparts and developmental partners. The new CCS envisages three areas of strategic collaboration between WHO and Mongolia: enhancing stronger leadership and good governance on all levels for multi-sectoral coordination and collaboration; improving health of the poor, vulnerable and high-risk groups through accelerated universal health coverage and improved health security; and enhancing formulation, implementation and monitoring of evidence-informed policies and decisions on all levels.
Dr Soe Nyunt U also mentioned that the subnational health system strengthening programme involving national and international partners to address existing health challenges is the fundamental programme of WHO in Mongolia introduced in 2012 following a fiscal and governance decentralization. Since 2014 WHO has been a leading development partner in implementation of sub-national health system strengthening strategies in Songinokhairkhan district of Ulaanbaatar and Umnugobi province. Since 2015 WHO has been extending the sub-national health system strengthening initiatives to other localities including 16 more provinces of Mongolia and two more districts of Ulaanbaatar, namely Nalaikh, and Chingeltei.
Dr Soe Nyunt U expressed a pronounced need and an expectation for the Ministry of Health to take a lead in coordination of health development partners, programs and projects in Mongolia to facilitate joint projects and programs based on national and subnational health priorities and avoid fragmentation and duplication of resources, thus improving effectiveness of joint activities.
Dr Tsogtsetseg Ayush has expressed her appreciation for WHO synchronizing the CCS with the four-year election cycle in Mongolia and expressed her full agreement with the need for the Ministry of Health to lead the health partner cooperation and coordination in the heath sector of Mongolia.
The parties have also discussed the International Conference on Communicable Diseases planned to be jointly conducted in the capital of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, on 19-20 October.
“I’m a clinical venereologist by training”, said Dr A.Togtsetseg, who have headed the National Dermatology Centre for years before the latest appointment. “Hence I’m familiar with the situation with the burden of communicable diseases in Mongolia and indeed am very concerned about it.”
The scientific conference will discuss the results of many studies conducted with WHO support in Mongolia as prevalence study on tuberculosis, economic analysis of viral hepatitis B and C, PCV impact study, study on burden of communicable diseases and many others.
Both parties have noted a very successful cooperation in the past and expressed a keen determination to work even closer tapping into a vast technical expertise in the public health sector that WHO provides the member states with.
“Our doors are always open for you and your colleagues, Minister,” said Dr Soe Nyunt U. “Please remember that you are supported by the largest and the best in the public health sector evidence-based scientific organization’s three levels back-up.