"Project encompasses 250 urban areas aiming for improved health and well-being"
In a recent meeting held in Mozyr, Alexander Tarenko, Deputy Minister of Health and Chief State Sanitary Doctor of Belarus, discussed the progress of the republican preventive project "Healthy Cities and Towns." The project, which began in 2019, aims to involve settlements throughout the country, including cities, urban settlements, agrotowns, and villages.
Tarenko stated that the project has been in place for three years, and it's now possible to assess its implementation. As of 2022, there were 202 healthy settlements within the project, with the number of healthy settlements in the Gomel region planned to increase by three or more each year.
Local and regional organizations presented their experience and achievements in promoting a healthy lifestyle and creating necessary conditions at the field meeting in Mozyr. Some of the presented experiences and achievements are considered worthy of replication and development in various sectors.
The meeting in Mozyr aimed to share and discuss experiences and achievements in encouraging the population to adopt a healthy lifestyle and creating the necessary conditions. Various sectors related to promoting a healthy lifestyle and preventing non-infectious diseases were the focus of the discussions. The importance of screening was emphasized at the meeting.
The project's comprehensive checks of the healthcare system, as mentioned by Tarenko, are aimed at ensuring the improvement of public health indicators, enhanced access to medical services and infrastructure, increased community engagement and health literacy, improvements in environmental health determinants, better coordination across local government and health sectors, and the sustainability and replication of successful interventions.
Criteria have been developed to evaluate the effectiveness of these projects, including medical-demographic and epidemiological indicators, the creation of conditions for the life activity of the population, attracting people to a healthy lifestyle, sports, tourism, teaching children the skills of a healthy lifestyle, and creating safe conditions for work and stay in labor collectives.
Examples of successful healthy settlements in the Gomel region include Mazyr, Rechitsa, Rogachev, the workers' settlement of Sосновый Bor Rogachevsky district, and the agrotown of Sudkovoye Khoynitsky district.
While general frameworks for Healthy Cities projects are known, specific comprehensive checks, evolving medical-demographic and epidemiological outcomes, and precise evaluation criteria for Belarus are not available in the current search results. For comprehensive and specific data, consulting Belarus government health system reviews or WHO regional reports would be necessary.
- The discussions during the meeting in Mozyr acknowledged the significance of the science and health sectors in advancing the republican preventive project "Healthy Cities and Towns," as the project involves promoting a healthy lifestyle, enhancing environmental health determinants, and improving public health indicators.
- In the context of the Healthy Cities and Towns project, news emerged about the increase in the number of healthy settlements each year, particularly in the Gomel region, where local efforts have led to the recognition of settlements like Mazyr, Rechitsa, Rogachev, Sосновый Bor Rogachevsky district, and the agrotown of Sudkovoye Khoynitsky district as successful examples of health-and-wellness initiatives.
