Support from TİKA to International Turkic World Congress of Multiple Sclerosis

The 4^th International Turkic World Congress of Multiple Sclerosis was held with the support of Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) in Samarkand, Uzbekistan between June 6 and 10, 2022.

Organized by the Turkic World Multiple Sclerosis Research Support Foundation, the congress was supported by TİKA, the Ministry of Health of Türkiye and Uzbekistan, University of Health Sciences, Eurasia Health and Social Research Implementation and Research Centre, Samarkand State University of Medicine, Tashkent Institute of Paediatrics Medicine and Turkish Neurological Society.

Neurologists from Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Bashkiria and Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus shared views during the congress. 680 people participated in the congress in person while 242 people joined it online. The participants were from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, The Republic of Bashkortostan, Türkiye, TRNC, Tashkent, Bukhara, Andijan, Nukus, Khwarazm and Samarkand. On the last day of the congress, Prof Yokhutkhon Madzihova, Head of Neurology Department from Tashkent Institute of Paediatrics Medicine organized a meeting and delivered a presentation to 200 people.

The participants shared views on the latest developments, diagnoses and treatments regarding multiple sclerosis, the existing diagnosis and treatment methods in the related countries and possible collaboration and cooperation opportunities in the field.

Multiple sclerosis is an important health and social problem, for it is the second cause of injuries among young people after accidents. Therefore, it was decided to hold a congress to increase awareness about this illness in our brother countries, work on better diagnosis and treatment methods and carry out collaborative projects. The first of these congresses was held in Ankara Gulhane Faculty of Medicine in 2019 with the support of the Ministry of Health and University of Health Sciences, and at the first congress it was proposed to turn the event into a traditional one. Upon this proposition, the second congress was also held in Türkiye to improve relations and create a secretariat while the third was organized online due to the pandemics.  

The congress will continue in different countries every year and it is planned to organize the 2023 congress in Azerbaijan and 2024 congress in Kazakhstan.