National Leader of the Turkmen People and Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty (People's Council) Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov congratulated President Serdar Berdimuhamedov on receiving a special award from the World Health Organization (WHO) for his contribution to promoting peace, unity, and diplomacy in healthcare, the State News Agency of Turkmenistan reported.

Earlier, the award was presented to the President of Turkmenistan during a meeting in Ashgabat by Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe.

In his congratulatory message, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov described the award as a high assessment of the efforts undertaken under the leadership of Serdar Berdimuhamedov in healthcare, as well as recognition of the international initiatives of permanently neutral Turkmenistan in the field of medical diplomacy. The National Leader particularly emphasized Turkmenistan's active partnership with specialized UN agencies, including the WHO.

According to him, the country is implementing large-scale efforts to protect public health, promote healthy lifestyles, and develop physical education and mass sports in accordance with the state program "Saglyk." International health and rehabilitation centers, multidisciplinary hospitals, and pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities are being built.

Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov also highlighted Turkmenistan's specific achievements in cooperation with the WHO. The country received international certificates for the complete eradication of several dangerous infectious diseases—guinea worm, polio, malaria, measles, and rubella—as well as for the iodization of salt and the fortification of flour with iron and folic acid. WHO supports Turkmenistan's position on maternal and child health and assists in the development of national strategies to protect the health of children and adolescents. Together with the organization, the country is working to combat tuberculosis as part of the global program to eliminate the disease by 2035.