MINISTER MEETS UNICEF REGIONAL DIRECTOR

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ The Minister of Health N.Udval received Thursday the regional director of UNICEF for East Asia and the Pacific Mr Daniel Toole and the Resident Representative of the regional office Roberto Benes. This meeting was arranged in frames of the visit of Mr Toole to Mongolia. The Minister spoke mainly of three matters and proposed a cooperation. She said the Government announced 2014 as a Year of Mothers and Children health promotion, "maternal and infant health is a vital issue of Mongolia’s health sphere, it should be regulated by a specific law. So we are developing a draft law on Health of Mothers and Children, and a great support is needed from high level decision-makers are necessary for adoption of this law". Ms Udval noted that an excessive air pollution of Ulaanbaatar reached a harmful level for children’s development and yet the adequate solution to this problem has not been found. Thus, it urges the Ministry to act, said the Minister and proposed cooperating in this. Another proposal was for collaboration in reducing the risks of children’s death from injuries. The Regional Director said he sees that a situation is always better when people who care for children heath are women. Mongolia is one of the fewest countries that reduced child mortality rate five times. “I always share your practices with regional countries, and I instruct them to do a good work, but I praise Mongolia on the good works telling you 'let's do better”, said the regional director and expressed a readiness to cooperate.