National leader and development of our national healthcare

Anniversaries are events that allow us to look back and appreciate history, to assess the role of great personalities and events in our yesterday from the point of view of today. Time destroys everything, and only true geniuses emerge from its trials. A genius, a great man, like Heydar Aliyev, who remained in the memory of the Azerbaijani people as the founder and savior, our national pride.

From the late 1960s to the 21st century, more than thirty years of the history of Azerbaijan are associated with the name of the outstanding statesman and great leader Heydar Aliyev. And in 1969-1982, when he first headed the republic, and during the period when he was represented in the highest bodies of power of the USSR, and during his activity as President of independent Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev occupied a revival in all spheres of socio-political, social economic and cultural life of our Motherland. He worked with all his might for its progress. He took responsibility in the most difficult days of Azerbaijan, led it as a state out of the difficult and severe trials of history, created a solid foundation for today’s reality and a bright tomorrow.

On the eve of the 100th anniversary of the national leader of our people Heydar Aliyev, his role in the history of Azerbaijan, in its existence today, in various spheres of social and political life is widely analyzed by specialists in all fields. Interestingly, each of them believes that it was this area that the great leader attached the greatest importance to, paid attention to and encouraged its development. Industry, agriculture, international relations, literature, art, education, etc.

Accordingly, according to medical workers, the most important area for Heydar Aliyev was people’s health, the development of healthcare and medical science, the training of educated, knowledgeable, truly professional medical personnel.

Heydar Aliyev, who worked tirelessly all his life for the good and peace of his people, said: “The purpose of my life was to serve the people of Azerbaijan, whom I love with all my being, our statehood, economic, political and spiritual development of our country. On this path, I received all my strength and will only from my wise and grateful people. In the most difficult moments, in the most difficult situations, I relied only on my people. This gave me endurance, willpower and ensured all my successes. As one of the brightest examples of service to the Azerbaijani people, Heydar Aliyev’s attention and concern for protecting the health of the population, protecting the nation’s gene pool, ensuring its future, his valuable contribution is unlimited, and his activities in this area were multifaceted.

Long before the national leader came to power in Azerbaijan, the health of the people occupied one of the main places in its system of values as a factor determining the healthy future of the nation. Conversations, discussions, worries and thoughts about health have become part of the daily life of the great leader. A close acquaintance with the sore problems and weaknesses in healthcare subsequently helped Heydar Aliyev to correctly analyze the situation and make the right decisions to radically change the situation. Fate decreed that the doctors in the family of the great leader, especially her longtime companion, an outstanding ophthalmologist, academician Zarifa Aliyeva, also thought about the main problems facing medicine at that time and looked for ways to solve them. Together with Heydar Aliyev, they discussed the most painful issues related to the health of the people, and consulted with this wise leader when looking for possible ways to solve medical and social problems.

The first coming of the great leader to power in Azerbaijan coincided with a period of stagnation, which was covered by external pomposity and beautiful words. As in any sphere of society, in health care, the successes achieved in previous periods, even by inertia, gave their results. However, a careful observer will see that the situation is not good at all, and the healthcare infrastructure is even pathetic. Immunization, a range of infectious diseases, including tuberculosis, malaria, diphtheria, polio, rubella and other drug addictions, maternal and child health, shortages of staff and the level of available staff are just some of the problems awaiting solution in Azerbaijan’s healthcare system.

That is why at the historical plenary meeting held in August 1969, the task was set to radically change the pace of development of health care in Azerbaijan. The determination of the new head of the republic to achieve progress in this area manifested itself in a very short time. Health care was one of the main activities of Heydar Aliyev, who began to work with all his might to improve the situation in Azerbaijan.

In any business, identifying the root of a problem and finding a solution is both the biggest challenge and the foundation of success. Heydar Aliyev also set about solving problems in the field of public health, strengthening the legal framework for healthcare. In December 1969, on his initiative, the 7th session of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Azerbaijan adopted a document called the “Health Code”, which is the basis for these future achievements. Having determined the directions for further development of health care, this Code became a plan of action in this area for the coming years and gave a significant impetus to the development of health care.
At that time, another step that laid the foundation for the progress of health care was the progress made in the field of combating corruption, including the prevention of negative situations in the management of health care.

One of the main points of Heydar Aliyev’s set of measures for the development of healthcare was the improvement of existing health centers and the construction of new medical institutions. In the 1970s, in a number of regions, medical institutions were located in unsuitable buildings. In 1970-1980, many important healthcare facilities were built in the republic. The number of children’s polyclinics alone increased from 150 to 185 in 1970-1975. Newly opened medical facilities included a urological clinical hospital, neurosurgical, toxicological and burn centers. At the same time, new buildings were built for the Research Institute of Ophthalmology and the Research Institute of Oncology.

Modern medical institutions also required the availability of an appropriate high-level human resources. In order to eliminate the shortage of doctors and paramedics, on the initiative of Heydar Aliyev, the admission of students to the Azerbaijan Medical Institute and medical universities was increased, benefits were introduced for applicants from remote areas who need medical personnel. At the same time, the shortage of personnel in the health care institutions of the regions began to gradually disappear.

In addition to increasing the number of medical personnel, their quality was also of great importance. One of the main factors in the development of healthcare is the training of highly qualified medical personnel who will work in healthcare institutions, and young scientists who will conduct scientific research in the field of medicine. To this end, great importance was attached to improving the quality of higher education in Baku, training medical personnel in advanced medical educational institutions of the USSR, developing medical science, and continuing the scientific activities of young Azerbaijani scientists. in allied medical centers. Those people who, at the initiative of Heydar Aliyev, conducted research and defended dissertations in advanced scientific centers subsequently made a valuable contribution to the development of our healthcare as the pride of our medical science.

During the years of leadership of Heydar Aliyev in Azerbaijan, the training of medical personnel and medical scientists in the republic was significantly expanded, new scientific centers were opened, the activities of medical research institutes were revived, conferences and forums were held in the country in various areas of medical science. Physiologists and pathophysiologists (1970, 1981), urologists (1972), neuropathologists (1974), ophthalmologists (1977), hematologists and transfusiologists (1978), medical biologists (1979), nephrologists (1980), microbiologists, epidemiologists and parasitologists (1982) . congresses and conferences of specialized specialists held in Baku were aimed at mobilizing the capabilities and abilities of highly qualified medical personnel. In addition to scientific and practical significance, the holding of All-Union events in the capital of our republic also had political significance. Baku has become an all-Union scientific center, a traditional meeting place for medical scientists.

Heydar Aliyev’s attention to the field of healthcare and the work he did for its development soon brought Azerbaijan to a leading position not only at the all-Union level, but also in the international arena. Thus, in 1970, an interregional seminar of the World Health Organization was held in Baku, and 2 years later the International Exhibition of Medical Equipment, which testified to the growing role of our republic in this area. Later, such events became traditional for our country.

The great leader touched upon the issues of the sanitary and hygienic condition of the cities of Baku, Ganja and Sumgayit, the sanitary condition of the Caspian Sea and other water bodies, working conditions for workers in various industries, occupational pathology and industrial toxicology, which were of great importance for the health of the population and were very urgent problems at that time. time., also paid great attention to such areas as the fight against infectious diseases, alcoholism and drug addiction, their prevention, and solving the problem of drug shortages. At that time, thanks to the efforts and measures taken by the leadership of the republic, occupational diseases in Azerbaijan decreased by 25 percent.

Heydar Aliyev also attached great importance to another issue related to the health of the population – preventive and curative measures, organization of spa treatment. One of the first topics raised by the wise son of our people after being elected the head of the republic was the improvement of medical care in the Naftalan, Istisu and Absheron sanatoriums, as well as an increase in the level of medical and rehabilitation work among young people. draft age. In those years, the attention paid to the mass dispensary registration of the population, the intensification of the work of visiting doctors, and the improvement of the level of medical care for mothers and children was also focused on disease prevention, timely detection and treatment.

At the same time, I would like to especially note the event organized at a high level on the initiative and recommendation of Heydar Aliyev, which left an indelible mark on the memory of healthcare workers and received a response far beyond the borders of the republic – the republican congress of field doctors (1982). Based on the opinions and questions raised at this meeting, in which Heydar Aliyev personally participated, the decision “On additional measures to protect the health of the population” was adopted and began to be successfully implemented.

In his speech at this meeting, Heydar Aliyev touched upon the problems faced by field doctors, described in detail the negligence that discredits the name of a medical worker, the violation of the Hippocratic oath, and at the same time highly appreciated the services of honest medical workers: “Field doctors are connected with people by many threads . Warmed by the warmth of the doctor’s heart and supplemented by his professional skill, it is impossible to separate the official duty and personal sincerity and attention in these threads.

These thoughts became the task of the great leader in front of the Azerbaijani doctors, to whom he entrusted the health care of the republic, on the eve of his departure to Moscow for a high position at the Union level. Heydar Aliyev, appointed First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, will then head the healthcare not only in Azerbaijan, but throughout the Soviet Union, as well as in a number of the most complex and responsible areas of the economy.

The Moscow period of the great commander’s activity was also very important in terms of the development of healthcare. Heydar Aliyev’s initiative to accelerate scientific and technological progress in medical science, the medical industry and the healthcare system as a whole, the mass medical examination of the population of the USSR based on the experience of Azerbaijan, economic reforms in the healthcare system indicated his global way of thinking and his ability to fundamentally solve any problem. This approach of his is reflected in his words in a speech in Moscow in 1985: “Medicine is more universal than all other areas of human knowledge and practice.”

Heydar Aliyev did a lot to protect the health of the population of Azerbaijan during his leadership of the all-union health care. This type included the creation of a resort zone of union significance on the shores of the Caspian Sea of our republic, measures related to the prevention of occupational diseases at industrial enterprises, and the holding of a number of all-Union conferences in Baku.

It so happened that the second coming of the great leader to power in Azerbaijan coincided with a difficult moment for our Motherland and our health. The struggle of our people for independence in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the collapse of the USSR and the associated economic downturn left no mark on our health care. Moreover, the presence of a 1 million army of refugees and internally displaced persons, associated with the war, the Armenian policy of ethnic cleansing and the occupation of our territories, did not allow the development of healthcare as a priority in a country that had just gained independence and was not yet economically developed. reinforced.

However, thanks to the special attention and care of Heydar Aliyev, during the period of independence, our country managed to achieve significant success in the development of healthcare and the protection of public health. Under his direct leadership, consistent and purposeful work was carried out, reforms were carried out in the country’s healthcare system. In this work, first of all, the focus has always been on improving the legal and regulatory framework for healthcare and bringing it up to the level of world standards. To this end, a number of laws have been adopted to strengthen the legislative framework for healthcare in our country, including “On the protection of public health”, “On the donation of blood and its components”, “On the prevention of the spread of a disease caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (AIDS), “On Pharmaceutical Activities”, “On Transplantation of Human Organs and (or) Tissues”, “On Health Insurance” and other laws were developed and adopted by the National Assembly. National programs have been developed to prevent the spread of AIDS and tuberculosis in Azerbaijan.

Speaking about the merits of Heydar Aliyev to the health care of Azerbaijan, it is necessary to especially note the preparation and implementation of the health care reform program. The Decree of the head of the country “On the formation of the State Commission for Health Reform” dated March 13, 1998 created the conditions for reforms covering all areas of health care on a larger scale and faster.

One of the priorities of the policy of the national leader in the field of healthcare was the implementation of progressive changes in this area and the creation of a new healthcare system in the transition period. For this purpose, in 1994, a Cooperation Program was signed between Azerbaijan and the UN Children’s Fund. According to this document, it was decided to start reforms in the Guba region, where infant mortality is high compared to other regions, and health indicators are low. Later, thanks to the implementation of this program, great success was achieved in Masalli, Lankaran, Jalilabad and Salyan regions.

In the first years of independence, one of the most worrying problems was the financing of health care, namely the inability to allocate adequate financial resources to it. That is why Heydar Aliyev created conditions for the introduction of a private healthcare system in order to attract additional funds to healthcare and liberalize healthcare as a type of activity in our country, which is in transition to a market economy. On his direct instructions, the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan “On private medical activity” was adopted as a regulatory framework in this direction. The introduction of the private healthcare system, which is one of the most important services of the great leader in the framework of the reforms carried out in the healthcare sector in our country, has also opened up opportunities to improve the financial well-being of medical institutions. workers – up to 10 thousand workers work in private medical institutions, including 2.5 thousand doctors and 4 thousand paramedics. In connection with the emergence of competition between private and public medical institutions, the level of medical care provided to the population has increased, and this has become an impetus for the further development of our healthcare.

The national leader constantly focuses on solving the problems related to the medical care of refugees and internally displaced persons who were forced to leave their native lands as a result of the Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan, and instructs them to provide them with the necessary medical assistance, with the participation of representatives of international humanitarian organizations operating in our country. country. The families of those who died for the territorial integrity of our country have always been under his attention. On the recommendation of Heydar Aliyev, since 1994 martyr families were taken under the care of medical institutions in all regions of Azerbaijan, and one person from each family was paid a monthly allowance in the amount of the average monthly salary until they reached the age of 1994. out of 18.

During the years of Heydar Aliyev’s presidency, a lot of work was done to strengthen the material and technical base of our health care, including repair and construction work in a number of medical institutions, and some medical centers were equipped with new equipment and devices. In those years, the most significant events in this area – the commissioning of a new building of the Azerbaijan Medical University and the opening of the Central Clinical Hospital, which meets modern world standards, became the clearest embodiment of the national leader’s concern for health. Azerbaijani people.

Thus, we can say without hesitation that the reforms carried out in accordance with the new economic system, development and progress in the field of healthcare, as well as in all spheres of public life in our country, are associated with the name of Heydar Aliyev. On the way to the development of our health care, the work of a national leader who thinks about the future of each representative of his people is indispensable in its value and scale.

Today, as in other areas, the political course of the great leader is successfully continued by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, in the field of healthcare. The head of state lives by service and loyalty to the people, the nation, which is the main life principle of the national leader Heydar Aliyev. It is under his leadership that the policy of Heydar Aliyev, the course of strategic development directed towards the future, is constantly moving forward and is the basis of Azerbaijan’s success.

The Azerbaijani state always pays attention to people’s health as a priority issue. It is noteworthy that over the past 10 years, spending on health care in the country’s budget has increased by more than 11 times. More than 500 medical institutions equipped with modern medical equipment and devices are available to the population in Azerbaijan. Medical institutions that have strengthened their material and technical base, at present, in a number of cases, do not lag behind the world’s leading medical institutions, and sometimes even surpass them. That is why President Ilham Aliyev, assessing the development of the country’s healthcare, said: “The reforms and work carried out in the healthcare system in Azerbaijan are at the world level. I can even say that we can already talk about Azerbaijani standards.”

The implementation of the adopted state programs on the most pressing health problems makes it possible to successfully solve very important tasks related to the protection of public health. As a continuation of Heydar Aliyev’s policy towards medical personnel, today great importance is attached to the training of highly qualified personnel. This goal is served by the introduction of residency in medical education, certification of medical personnel and recruitment by a centralized examination. Now hundreds of Azerbaijani doctors are enriching their knowledge both in clinics of foreign countries and on internships of leading specialists invited to Azerbaijan.

The attention and concern of the head of state for our health care, the important steps taken by the Azerbaijani people to protect their health, and the overall pro-social policy pursued in the country are a clear manifestation of the successful continuation of the strategy set by the great leader in this direction. Newly built, overhauled medical centers, equipped with the most modern equipment, attention paid to the improvement of medical workers, medical and demographic indicators improving day by day are proof of the importance that the Azerbaijani state and the President of Azerbaijan attach to protecting the health of the population and the health of future generations.

The current development of healthcare in Azerbaijan is recognized not only within the country, but also abroad. Since 2005, our country has been consistently represented in the governing bodies of the World Health Organization and its Regional Office for Europe. The fact that the 61st session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe was held in Baku in 2011 actually meant that Azerbaijan’s concern for the health of the population was highly appreciated in the international world. Along with the most prestigious political, economic, scientific and cultural events held with great success in Baku, international events held in the field of health, both testify to the increase in the prestige of Azerbaijan in the world, and serve it by themselves.

“I want every person to live well, the financial possibilities of each person increase, children study in good schools, teachers teach in good schools. Let doctors work in beautiful hospitals and let our people be healthy,” said President Ilham Aliyev, who spares neither time, nor effort, nor effort to make these wishes come true. Medical workers who constantly support the policy of the President of Azerbaijan in the field health care, are making every effort for its successful implementation, confidently following the path determined by the national leader Heydar Aliyev.