In the Year of Peace and Trust, Turkmenistan reaffirms its commitment to international and regional cooperation in the areas of security, social protection, and healthcare, and as a Neutral State, continues to launch initiatives aimed at protecting human dignity and promoting stability across the region.

In this context, a high-level regional training titled “Towards Respectful Care: Overcoming Gender Bias in Medical Practice” kicked off today in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The event is organized by the Central Asia Drug Action Programme – Phase 7 (CADAP 7) and aims to build the capacity of healthcare professionals and civil society representatives in providing trauma-informed, gender-sensitive care to women who use synthetic drugs and new psychoactive substances (NPS).

Turkmenistan is actively participating in the training with a national delegation composed of representatives from the Ministry of Healthcare and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan, Turkmen State Medical University named after Myrat Garryev, Magtymguly Turkmen State University, and the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Turkmenistan.

The two-day training (15–16 July) is hosted at Hotel Kazzhol in Almaty and brings together experts from across Central Asia. The program focuses on overcoming stigma and gender bias in the medical field and equipping healthcare providers with the tools to deliver respectful, non-judgmental, and gender-sensitive support to women who use psychoactive substances.

Key objectives include:

• Raising awareness of the mental and reproductive health needs of women who use NPS;
• Promoting respectful care that addresses trauma and gender-specific barriers in healthcare;
• Strengthening communication skills of male and female health professionals for empathetic and ethical service delivery;
• Facilitating dialogue between healthcare providers, civil society, and women with lived experience of substance use.

A special session titled “The Role of Men in Medicine: Shaping Gender-Sensitive Approaches to Women's Care” will also be held, engaging male doctors and counselors in strengthening trust-based communication with female patients, while raising awareness of gender dynamics and ethical considerations.

This initiative under CADAP 7 reflects the EU’s and its partner countries’ commitment to advancing public health responses and rights-based approaches to drug use. It also supports Turkmenistan’s national priorities in modernizing healthcare services and ensuring inclusive, patient-centered care for all segments of the population.