Ministers of Health of the Organization of Turkic States Convened in Kazakhstan

The 5th Meeting of the Ministers of Health of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) was held in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan.

Hosted by Kazakhstan’s Minister of Health, Akmaral Alnazarova, the meeting was attended by Turkish Minister of Health Kemal Memişoğlu, Azerbaijani Minister of Health Teymur Musayev, Kyrgyz Minister of Health Erkin Checheibaev, Uzbek Minister of Health Asilbek Khudayarov, Director General of Infectious Disease Centers of the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan Annamyrat Recepow, Hungarian Deputy Secretary of State for the Interior Judit Bidlo, Secretary-General of the OTS Kubanychbek Omuraliev, President of the Turkic Investment Fund Bagdat Amreyev, and WHO Regional Director Hans Kluge.

The meeting began with the reading of a congratulatory message sent by President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev specifically for the occasion.

In her opening remarks, Minister Alnazarova expressed her pleasure in hosting the health ministers of the OTS member countries in Kazakhstan.

Recalling that President Tokayev had emphasized the importance of enhancing cooperation in the health sector at the 10th OTS Heads of State Summit held in Astana, Alnazarova stated that they proposed declaring 2025 as the "Year of Primary Health Care" among OTS countries, aiming to take joint steps in the areas of accessibility, equity, and sustainability of health systems.

Alnazarova highlighted Kazakhstan's prioritization of digitalization in its healthcare system, saying, “There are 52 healthcare services offered in our country. More than 90% of these are fully digitalized.”

She stated that they are ready to share their achievements in this field with OTS member states and added that they support the initiative to establish a joint infrastructure for organ transplantation among Turkic states.

“As Kazakhstan, we are ready for active cooperation in the health sector under the umbrella of the Organization of Turkic States,” she said.

We, as Türkiye, Highly Value the Development of Joint Health Projects under the OTS Umbrella”

Speaking at the meeting, Turkish Minister of Health Kemal Memişoğlu expressed his great pleasure in meeting with his counterparts from Turkic states at the 5th OTS Health Ministers Meeting and extended his gratitude to the government of Kazakhstan for hosting this meaningful gathering.

Memişoğlu emphasized that the Turkic world is a large family united by shared history, culture, and strong ties, stating: “As we have expressed at the highest level on various platforms, the Organization of Turkic States is not only a regional but also a globally effective cooperation platform. Our organization has the capacity to generate joint solutions in political and economic areas as well as in health and humanitarian fields.”

He noted that they have gathered with the vision of strengthening global health diplomacy and enhancing human resources capacity at the level of primary health care, and added:

“As we all know, the sustainability of health systems depends on the effectiveness of primary healthcare services and the availability of qualified health professionals. Training healthcare workers and sharing experiences among our countries will strengthen our regional health resilience.”

Memişoğlu underlined that Türkiye has achieved significant success in primary healthcare through long-standing health reforms, and continued:

“Our strengthened family medicine system, the widespread implementation of community-based healthcare, integration of digital health solutions, and the modernization of our hospital infrastructure have enabled us to provide more accessible and effective healthcare services to our citizens. We are eager to share this expertise with our sister countries under the umbrella of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS),” Minister Memişoğlu said.

He emphasized that global health diplomacy requires not only cooperation between countries but also the capacity to act together in times of crisis, noting, “The COVID-19 pandemic and the recent natural disasters we have experienced once again revealed the vital importance of solidarity in healthcare.”

Stating that Türkiye has always stood by and will continue to support its friendly and brotherly countries with its humanitarian and technical capacities, Memişoğlu continued: “We, as Türkiye, highly value and support the increase of initiatives to develop joint health projects under the umbrella of the OTS.”

He noted that especially health personnel exchange programs, joint training initiatives, and coordinated intervention mechanisms during crises further strengthen cooperation, and added:

“I believe that our health action plan — which includes new thematic areas and assigns various responsibilities to our member countries — will have an even greater impact and help us achieve our goals through the devoted efforts and commitment of all member states. Our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s emphasis on ‘our unity is our strength’ for OTS member countries is a call to strengthen cooperation and ensure that our nations can look to the future with confidence. Therefore, as the OTS, we must act collectively and take concrete steps to ensure equity in healthcare.”

In this context, Minister Memişoğlu called for collaboration to enhance joint production capacity in the health sector and to strengthen cooperation in the production of medical supplies and pharmaceuticals, stating: “Recently, we launched a new process in Türkiye under the vision of a ‘Productive Health System.’ This process, built on a foundation from idea to production, and from distribution to sharing, aims to include the Turkic World as a key stakeholder — one of our main objectives.”

He concluded by stating that they aim to take the organization much further through unity of purpose and spirit, and said: “On this occasion, I would also like to emphasize once again the importance of the solidarity we, as the Turkic World family, must show in the face of the isolation imposed on our Turkish Cypriot brothers and sisters, especially in the field of health. As Türkiye, we share the rightful cause of the Turkish Cypriots and attach great importance to the support of the OTS and you, our brotherly countries.”

Azerbaijani Minister of Health Teymur Musayev began his remarks by once again thanking his Kazakh counterpart and healthcare professionals for their professionalism and assistance following the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines aircraft last year in the city of Aktau.

Musayev emphasized that the OTS has rapidly become a platform for enhancing cooperation among its member and observer countries, noting that under the auspices of heads of state, relations in political, economic, and cultural fields have flourished not only within the framework of the organization but also through bilateral ties.

He highlighted that the OTS health meetings enhance interaction among healthcare professionals from member states and provide important opportunities for sharing experiences.

Kyrgyz Minister of Health Erkin Checheibaev pointed out that there are some obstacles that need to be addressed in the health cooperation among OTS member countries, saying, “We believe that through mutual interaction, we can provide much better healthcare services to our people.”

Uzbek Minister of Health Asilbek Khudayarov expressed their support for initiatives such as the use of artificial intelligence in the health sector, improving the professional skills of healthcare workers, and organizing joint training programs within the framework of the OTS.

OTS Secretary-General Kubanychbek Omuraliev emphasized that today's gathering was evidence of strong cooperation among member countries.

He noted that 12 sub-working groups are currently active among member states, covering areas ranging from traditional medicine to digitalization in the health sector.

At the end of the meeting, the ministers approved the “2025–2026 Action Plan” among the health ministries of the member countries and signed the OTS Ministers of Health Joint Declaration.

In addition, memorandums of understanding were signed between the relevant institutions of the OTS member countries on cooperation in emergency healthcare services, biosafety, medical education and science, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices.

The meeting concluded with a family photo session.