Public Health and Nutrition Center
The assignee of Experimental and production center of the State sanitary and epidemiological service of Turkmenistan, Public Health and Nutrition Center was established in accordance with Decree № 14905 of the President of Turkmenistan, dated July 17, 2016 “On the commissioning of new health centers”, and in accordance with the Order № 194 dated July 21, 2016 of the Ministry of Health and Medical industry of Turkmenistan “On the questions of further development of Experimental and production center of the State sanitary and epidemiological service and strengthening the preventive measures of highly infectious disease”. Public health and Nutrition center was inaugurate at the initiative of Arkadag, the National Leader of Turkmen Nation Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov in July 21, 2016. The Center is a budgetary organization and financed through the national budget. The organization also has self-sustaining departments, which are finance at their own expenses.
Activities of the Center. The Center effectively uses scientific research, practical, methodological, information and laboratory systems in its daily activity. It is a key link in the network of institutions of the State Sanitary and Epidemiological Service of the Ministry of Health and Medical industry of the country for the storage, distribution of vaccines and other immunobiological agents.
Departments and divisions. The center consists of the following departments: department of state registration of food products, food packaging materials and control of laboratories in the markets, specialized food laboratories for Food control department with use of laboratory and instrumental procedure, bacteriologic tests of food products, tests of food products with molecular-genetic and immunoenzymometric methods which is a part of the department for testing the food products, as well as laboratories of the department for study special danger infections, physical-chemical study methods of environmental factors, radiological health laboratory, toxicological laboratory, bacteriological laboratory, virology department with reference laboratory, department of parasitology with reference laboratory and scientific departments, the information and analytical department, department of marketing and supply, department of epidemiology and immunology which has warehouse of vaccine and immunobiological agents.
Due to successful work in the field of epidemiological control and laboratory research of influenza, in September 2019, the Department of Virology with a reference laboratory of the Public Health and Nutrition Center was award the status of National Influenza Center by the World Health Organization, which is currently, maintains.
The Public Health and Nutrition Center has a central warehouse equipped with the latest specialized equipment that meets international standards, designed for storing vaccines and other immunobiological agents, which is a prerequisite for the successful implementation of the National Disease Prevention Program in Turkmenistan.
Characteristics of the scientific research conducted: Division of laboratory and equipment analysis for food products is equipped with state of the art equipment. It uses latest innovative laboratory and instrumental methods for physicochemical, toxicological and radiological studies about quality and safety of food products both imported and those, which are produce, in our country. With support of the World Health Organization and within the framework of the FEEDCities project laboratory studies were carried out to identify trans-fats and salts in food products. In December 2024, during a training seminar held with the participation of an expert from the European Regional Office of the World Health Organization, a method for determining residual amounts of tetracycline antibiotics in food products using liquid chromatography was introduce.
Special equipment is use in the Division of bacteriological analysis for food products to determine pathogenic microorganisms, which are contained in food products (the amount of colony-forming units of mesophilic, aerobic and facultative anaerobic microorganisms, a group of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella, yeast and fungi, monocytogenic Listeria, bacilli cereus and clostridia).
Division of molecular-genetic and elisa analysis for food products has all the capabilities for identifying genetically modified organisms in food products, including determining the origin of meat in meat products using the polymerase chain reaction method.
Division of state registration for food products and food package materials provides state registration of new types of food products, materials for food packaging produced in Turkmenistan, as well as imported into the territory of our state.
The Market laboratories control division activities are carries out to coordinate, agree, control and provide practical and methodological assistance to sanitary and food laboratories located on the territory of Turkmenistan, including conducting practical and methodological training courses to improve the level of qualification of personnel.
The Toxicology laboratory department works to determine the presence of salts and isotopes of heavy metals, various types of toxic substances in materials made of polymers (plastics, paper, glass, metal, ceramics, wood, rubber) in contact with food products, households, hygienic, cosmetic and perfumery products, as well as in materials and means used in everyday life, in children's toys, clothes and shoes for children and adults, dishes, textile materials in contact with the human body. Using a special smoking device, the mass fraction of dust in the tobacco is determined, as well as the amount of nicotine, carbon monoxide and tar, which are the main safety indicators.
The Department of physical-chemical analysis for environmental factors determine the composition of drinking and waste water, atmospheric air and indoor air, determine the parameters of air temperature, humidity, pressure, electromagnetic field level, noise, vibration, air speed in residential, public and industrial premises. Measurements are carries out using modern methods of spectrophotometry and titrimetric.
The Radiation hygiene laboratory department provides dose metric and radiochemical studies of air, drinking water, soul, construction and household goods, X-ray equipment located in settled areas and in open spaces. The laboratory uses the latest technology to determine Radon222 in the atmospheric air, soil, resort mud and seawaters. To determine the power of the volume of exposure to gamma radiation in the atmospheric air, highly sensitive gamma detectors are used. They separately calculate the level of absorbed ionizing radiation and the natural radiation background.
Within the framework of sanitary and anti-epidemic control, the Laboratory department by research special dangerous infections provide microbiological studies of infectious agents of II-III levels of biosafety. They also work here on production of brucellosis diagnostics.
The Virology department with reference laboratory is the central Virology reference-laboratory of Turkmenistan. The laboratory’s automated equipment helps to diagnose influenza and acute respiratory infections, COVID-19, hepatitis, measles, rubella and other various types of viral diseases using methods of enzyme immunoassay, polymerase chain reaction, virus cultivation and new generation DNA sequencing. These studies determine the genetic sequence of viral pathogens, their country of origin, and after treatment’s early period, they are using an accurate method helping to determine which drug is resistant to pathogen’s activity in a short time. In December 2024, a training seminar was hell for laboratory specialists on the influenza virus sequencing method using the Oxford Nanopore device, with the participation of experts from the European Regional Office of the World Health Organization.
Bacteriological and serological studies of gastrointestinal tract and respiratory organs are carries out using the high-tech equipment in the Bacteriology laboratory department. Work is underway to identify pathogens and their sensitivity, resistance to antibiotics and environmental factors, as well as bacteriological studies of drugs and disinfectants. The department is the National Reference Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistance, collects data on antimicrobial susceptibility testing from sanitary and epidemiological services and health care facilities across the country and sends them to the Center for Epidemiological Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance in Central Asia and Europe (CAESAR). To confirm the status of eradication of wild poliovirus that causes poliomyelitis and to conduct ongoing epidemiological surveillance, laboratory samples from patients with acute flaccid paralysis syndrome (children aged 0 to 14 years) across the country are regularly sent to the Poliomyelitis Institute in Moscow, Russian Federation, in full compliance with the requirements of the World Health Organization.
The Parasitology department with reference laboratory with the help of microscopy and enzyme immunoassay, protozoa - causative agents of malaria and leishmaniasis, as well as helminthiases such as ascariasis, echinococcosis, trichinosis, opisthorchiasis, toxocara are identifie, the types and features of transmission through insects - carriers of diseases are studied. Work is underway to prevent the import and spread of tropical diseases to our country, and recommendations are provide on disease prevention for those traveling to endemic countries.
The Epidemiology and immunology department receives and analyzes information and reports on preventive vaccinations and disinfection measures from the country's sanitary and epidemiological services in electronic form. The warehouse has specialized refrigeration and freezing chambers, a dry warehouse, and a specially equipped truck that provides all the conditions for storing and transporting vaccines. The rules for storing vaccines are monitory by a computer around the clock in accordance with the requirements of the World Health Organization for maintaining the “cold chain”.
The Information and analysis department compiles and analyzes monthly and annual reports of the divisions of the State Sanitary and Epidemiological Service of the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan, carries out regular monitoring of the prepared reports, collects analytical data and prepares the necessary recommendations.
The Scientific department organizes scientific research in the field of hygiene and disease prevention using laboratory research methods. Jointly with the Department of Nutrition Hygiene and the Department of Medical Ecology and Hygiene of the State Medical University of Turkmenistan named after Myrat Garryev, research work is being carries out on the topic of “Studying the content of heavy metals in the composition of vegetables grown in the Dashoguz velayat”. Work is underway to develop projects of sanitary-epidemiological and hygienic standards, scientifically based sanitary-hygienic requirements, measures for the prevention of infectious and non-infectious diseases common in our country, measures are being determined to improve work in the field of hygiene and epidemiology.
In 2024, the Public Health and Nutrition Center was award a quality system compliance certificate. This document confirms that the laboratory testing services provided at the Center comply with the requirements of the TDS ISO 9001 Quality Management System. This globally recognized quality management standard helps organizations of all sizes and industries improve their operations, meet customer requirements, and demonstrate their commitment to quality. It also demonstrates that the organization operates efficiently, its specialists perform their work at a high level, and services are provide reliably.
Trainings and seminars about modern methods and innovative technologies held in the training halls of the Center are aimed to improve level of education and experience of students of the Myrat Garryev State Medical University of Turkmenistan and other medical schools of the country, specialists from Ashgabat’s and regional sanitary and epidemiological services, and other health care institutions of Turkmenistan. The Center’s educational department is also working on providing advanced training and certification of its own medical staff too.
The large-scale works are carries out in the Public Health and Nutrition Center to prevent spread of infectious and noninfectious disease among the population and provide safety of food products. This fact indicates the successful implementation of the tasks set by State program “Saglyk”.
Name of the organization: Public Health and Nutrition Center
Address: 84, Georogly street, Ashgabat city, 744013
Telephone number: +993 (12) 36-90-67, +993 (12) 36-90-97
Fax: +993 (12) 36-90-03
E-mail: jsim@sanly.tm
Transport:
Buses: 6, 13, 15, 21, 23, 30, 40, 42, 44, 45, 46, 49, 50, 56, 59, 61, 63, 66, 74, 80, 90, 94, 110, 113
Landmarks: Student's Health Home of Ashgabat city
Location on the map: Yandex Map
