The first Capital Health Forum: to be continued

On July 5-6, the First National forum on a healthy future “Capital Health” was held in Astana at the Ushkenpirov Martial Arts Palace with the support of the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Sports and Tourism and the Council for Sustainable Development and ESG of the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs “Atameken”.

The main mission of the event is a healthy future, success and strength of the nation thanks to the synergy of the state, business and science!

To do this, the co-organizers of the GPI group forum invited leading experts (the forum brought together more than 60 speakers), scientists, government officials and famous athletes to discuss key issues – how to make the health of the people a priority of the state, what “new” corporate culture is expected by residents of cities, what are “Healthy cities” and how to develop them.

The head of the Ministry of Health, Akmaral Alnazarova, noted in her speech that over the past 10 years Kazakhstan has seen a stable annual population growth, which creates significant challenges for the organization of medical care for children.

“Today, the Government is striving to create a modern and effective health care system where taking care of children’s health is central. We must ensure that they have access to quality medical care and care so that every child can grow up strong, healthy and happy. Because children are the foundation of our future.”

In his speech, Vice Minister of Tourism and Sports Serik Zharasbayev spoke about health tourism as a tool that not only raises the country’s economy to a new level, but also improves the health of the population, as well as the development of mass sports in the regions.

“In 2020, the wellness tourism segment shrank to $351 billion due to travel restrictions, but from 2020 to 2022 there was an impressive 36% annual growth, reaching $651 billion by 2022. The market is projected to grow further: to $1 trillion in 2024, with an annual growth rate of 16.6% over the next five years. Our country offers unique natural resources and high-quality services to improve the physical and mental health of tourists.”

The TED format featured a speech by the Chairman of the Board of the University Medical Center Corporate Foundation, Yuri Pya. A well-known cardiac surgeon stressed the importance of public awareness of diseases of the cardiovascular system. As an example, Yuri Pya cited US statistics, according to which almost half of the country’s population has heart problems, not knowing about the signs of the disease or the possibilities to reduce risks.

Experts discussed the impact of an active lifestyle on health and the need to create a healthy infrastructure across the country. Within the framework of the Forum, the Capital Health Award, the first award in Kazakhstan in the field of promoting a healthy lifestyle, was held. The companies received awards for achievements related to their personal contribution to the promotion of healthy lifestyle, the development of corporate culture, the support of social projects, the development of amateur and professional sports.

“The speakers of the forum sessions on Corporate culture, Healthy cities, and the impact of an active lifestyle on health helped to reveal the topic as comprehensively as possible, with personal examples and sometimes in unexpected formats. As co-organizers, we continue to receive feedback from participants on the need to continue the tradition of holding such forums annually. We hope to form an ever-growing community on this important topic. We are confident that the positive examples of our corporations, cases from doctors, athletes, urbanists, experts and just active citizens will lay a reliable foundation for a sustainable trend of Healthy cities and a Healthy generation,” said Rustam Yakupbayev, Managing partner of GPI group.