DUSHANBE, April 7, Asia-Plus  -- The republican medical center for emergency situations (disaster medicine) will be set up in Tajikistan in the near future, Deputy Health Minister, Sohibnazar Rahmonov, announced at a press conference in Dushanbe on April 7. 

The Ministry of Health (MoH) hosted the press conference on occasion of the World Health Day.

The issue is currently under consideration by a number of relevant ministries and organizations of the country, the deputy minister said.  

According to him, the necessity of establishing such a center has resulted from the unusually cold weather and severe electricity shortages that hit the country last winter.  “The center will be an independent body to coordinate medical issues in case of emergency situations in the country,” Rahmonov said.  

The results of work of a commission for emergency situations that was set up in the country last winter have shown that many medical facilities had not been properly prepared for severe winter, Rahmonov said, adding that the country’s health sector has received humanitarian in an amount of $1.2 million since the beginning of the year.  

Disaster medicine is the area of physician medical specialization serving the dual areas of providing medical care to disaster survivors and providing medically related disaster preparation, disaster planning, disaster response and disaster recovery leadership.