LETTER TO MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND MEDICAL INDUSTRY OF TURKMENISTAN

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Dear Friends,

This is a translation of an original letter in the Turkmen language. We sent it out on February 28, 2020. The letter returned due to invalid email addresses and we published it on Saglyk.org and shared it through social media on March 5, 2020. The letter is in Turkmen, Russian, and English. Please consider sharing it to show that you care.

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February 28, 2020

Theme: Situation concerning coronavirus in Turkmenistan (urgent)

To: Ministry of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan

Sent to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., AşThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Dear Mr. Nurmuhammet Kakabayewich [Minister of Health],

The fast spreading of coronavirus poses a threat to humanity. The spread of the coronavirus in neighboring Iran and Afganistan creates worries and panic among the public in Turkmenistan. Almost every day we receive questions from our readers about coronavirus. We have been providing our readers with informaiton from international credible sources on coronavirus for almost two months. But we see that this is not enough.

We are witnessing the spread of myths and rumors among the public. This misinformation poses threat to the health of our families, and to the well-being and security of the whole society.

We are asking you to prevent the spread of misinformation. If the Ministry could start informing the public using its website, our society would start getting credible information concerning the situation within the country and internationally.

From our readers:

On February 24th, we asked our followers on Instagram Do you have enough information concerning coronavirus in Turkmenistan?

80% of respondents voted "no" (127 people) and 20% voted "yes" (32 people).

We are providing a sample of some questions we received from the readers:

Did it spread in our country?

3 people died, is it true?

How one can prevent it?

Did it really come to Turkmenistan?

How would I know that I am infected?

Can it spread in Turkmenistan?

Are there infected people in Turkmenistan?

Are there infected people in Ashgabat?

They say that it has spread in Iran, can it come to our country?

They say that the virus dies and weakens in the hot weather, it is true?

I am worried about my relatives who are migrants. How can I get any information?

In order to set up communication channels with the public, we are recommending the Minsitry do the following:

↪ Use the successful lessons and experience from neighboring countries. For example, the Ministry of Health of Kazakhstan provides the public with the epidemiological report on a daily basis. The report includes the details of the latest developments and situaiton in the country. The Minsitry answers the questions from the public on Facebook and Twitter in Kazak, English and Russian languages. They also set up a 24-hour hotline for the public.

↪ Open an account on social media and communicate with the public and post regularly information concerning the country and information from the World Health Organization in Turkmen and in Russian.

↪ Publish the materials that the Minsitry has developed on the Ministry’s wesite so it can reach and benefit more people. We are aware that the Minsitry has developed health pamphets and informational materials for the public.

In this difficult and dangerous time we believe in concerted, constructive public participation. We, as a civil society group, are ready to provide assistance to the Ministry.

Respectfully,

Saglyk

www.saglyk.org

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