Issues of Ensuring CIS Biosafety in Context of COVID-19 Pandemic and Influenza Discussed in Tavricheskiy Palace
22 October 2020
On 22 October 2020, a meeting of the IPA CIS Board of Experts on Public Health took place in the Tavricheskiy Palace – the IPA CIS headquarters. The representatives of the academic community, parliaments, relevant ministries and departments from the Azerbaijan Republic, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Republic of Moldova, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan attended the meeting.
Secretary General of the IPA CIS Council Dmitriy Kobitskiy addressed the meeting participants with a welcoming speech. He noted that the meeting was held in difficult conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic and recalled that the IPA CIS has always paid close attention to the issues of maintaining the health of citizens and the work of public health system.
Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg Oleg Ergashev greeted the meeting participants on behalf of the Government of St. Petersburg. He noted that the exchange of experience and interaction should improve the results of patient treatment.
Chair of the IPA CIS Board of Experts on Public Health, Academician of the RAS Yuri Sherbuk made a presentation “Public Health and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Problems and Prospects”. He stated that the pandemic has become a new large-scale public health problem in all countries, which has proven the need to optimize public health policies.
Medical Officer of the WHO Regional Office for Europe Ogtay Gozalov made a presentation on the issues of CIS biosafety in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and influenza. He presented the WHO clinical guidelines for treating COVID-19 and the main methods of its implementation.
Acting Director of the Federal State Budgetary Institution A. A. Smorodintsev Research Institute of Influenza of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Head of the Clinic Dmitry Lioznov made a presentation on influenza as a biological safety problem. He told the meeting participants about the WHO Global Influenza Strategy for 2019-2030, as well as the development of the National Influenza Pandemic Preparedness Plan. According to the expert, the development of the pandemic was a matter of time, and readiness for it was largely determined by the correct prediction of events.
Deputy Minister of Health of the Russian Federation Oleg Gridnev told the meeting participants about the Russian experience in countering the spread of COVID-19 and influenza.
In addition, the participants were provided with information on the activities of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic in the European region, on the specifics of public health management in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and several other health problems.
