Speech by Ilham Aliyev at the opening of the Agdash central district hospital

- Let me sincerely congratulate you on the opening of the Agdash district hospital. This is a great event. The construction of the hospital began a year ago and I am very pleased that a wonderful modern hospital has been built and commissioned in Agdash in a short period of time.

As you know, new medical facilities are established throughout our country, hospitals and clinics built. An excellent hospital meeting world standards has now been established in Agdash.

While reviewing the hospital, I saw that it is built with very high quality and good taste and has the latest equipment. The hospital has excellent conditions for work. Most importantly, medical care should also be at a high level here.

Large-scale reforms and extensive work on improving the healthcare system are under way in our country. New modern hospitals are built in every district. In Baku itself, the previously constructed hospitals are renovated, new ones built, proposals on personnel training are put forward. The physicians working here have received training and gained more experience. We must ensure that medical care is at a high level here.

The opening of this hospital shows again that our country is developing comprehensively. Every region is developing, all problems of life are resolved in each region. When I was here last year, we celebrated the opening of the Olympic center together. We marked the completion of the first phase of water supply of Agdash District. This project continues in Agdash, other projects are implemented and, in general, the appearance of the district is changing. Agdash is now becoming a modern and beautiful district. There are all the conditions for recreation, life and work.
Gasification is well under way. As far as I know, new villages and settlements have recently been gasified. We need to ensure that all the villages in the district are gasified in the next two years. Electricity problems have long been eliminated. We are now implementing drinking water and sanitation projects. I am sure that these projects will also be completed shortly.

Roads are built. Before coming here, we celebrated the opening of the Laki-Agdash road. It is a great road. It links several villages. It is also possible to come to the district center easily. In the coming years, further measures will be taken and additional funds allocated for developing the district. As you know, funds are envisaged in the state budget. At the same time, funds for the development of districts are allocated from the Reserve Fund of the President to ensure that every district, city and village improve and living conditions are better.

I hope that all the problems facing the country, namely those relating to the development of districts, will soon be resolved. The work done to date suggests that we can achieve our goal because the successful implementation of the program on the socioeconomic development our districts are experiencing profound change. There is a revival and development, our districts are thriving. This is the result of our work and the programs adopted. Underlying all of this work is the human factor. This is why healthcare issues receive so much attention. Attention is paid to all spheres. We are building schools, roads and commissioning new enterprises. But health is the paramount issue. I am very pleased that the work carried out in this sphere in Azerbaijan in recent years has been positive. New hospitals and medical centers are emerging. Necessary public health measures are taken. At the next stage we should pay more attention to diagnostic and disease prevention issues and use the international experience to the maximum extent.

As for the construction of hospitals, I think we are now at the level of the most developed countries in this respect. The excellent conditions we have created correspond to those in developed countries and in some cases are even better.

Great attention is paid to the issues of equipment. The most sophisticated equipment and diagnosing machines are brought to the country. I think in the coming years we should pay more attention to the professionalism of doctors. To do this, physicians must constantly broaden their experience. International relations are, of course, very important.

International health organizations are giving very high assessments to the reforms in Azerbaijan. The attention we in Azerbaijan are paying to these issues has been praised at a meeting of the Committee for Europe of the World Health Organization held in Baku a few months ago. Of course, this is the result of our work, and this feedback is very encouraging for us because the World Health Organization deals with health matters on a global scale. All health factors, such as medical care and, as I have noted, diagnostics, prevention and education, must be in the spotlight. Now that we have such excellent conditions, every citizen should undergo timely checkups and examination.

We are dealing with other public health issues. Drinking water is top priority issue for human health. It is now being dealt with. The environmental situation, clean air and quality food. We are paying attention to all these matters, studying and applying the experience of developed countries. The construction of this hospital is a project carried out jointly with the World Bank and all the standards here are at a global level.

Let me congratulate you on this wonderful event again. I am very pleased that such a wonderful hospital is being put into operation in Agdash. This is my third visit to Agdash as President. I see and appreciate the ongoing changes. I am very glad that things are going well. Additional measures will be taken and funds allocated for a further development of Agdash so that the district becomes even more beautiful and better. My congratulations to you again!