On June 23, 2025, a roundtable meeting was organized in Turkestan region on the initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO) as part of studying the impact of religious beliefs on the issue of vaccination. The meeting was chaired by Deputy Akim of Turkestan region Beisen Tazhibayev.
The meeting was attended by the head of the regional health department Askhan Baiduvaliyev, deputy head of the department Madina Mambetova, WHO consultant Dr. Sahil Warsi, expert of the WHO European Regional Office Siff Nielson, and epidemiologist of the National Public Health Center of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan Zh. Khudaibergenova.
During the roundtable, the influence of religious beliefs in society on the public’s attitude to vaccination, the main obstacles and challenges encountered in this area were discussed in detail. Specialists and experts also noted the need to increase public confidence in the decision-making process regarding vaccination, strengthen explanatory work, and develop effective approaches taking into account local specifics.
The main goal of this event is to jointly discuss and identify solutions to current issues in the field of immunoprophylaxis in order to protect public health, as well as to promote effective decision-making at the local level, based on international experience.