“Life in rural Tajikistan is not easy even for a medical doctor. The long distance from the regional center and poor infrastructure create gaps in the quality of healthcare we can provide. There were no opportunities both financially and timewise to continue studying; I had to go to Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, which is far from my home. And I couldn’t leave my workstation, since I needed to work and support my family. There weren’t many opportunities to learn, grow professionally, and therefore, provide better services to my patients,” says Merdan Mulkiev, a family doctor and the Deputy Manager of Dusti district primary healthcare service in Khatlon province.
Dr. Merdan lives in one of the most remote districts in south-western Tajikistan, near the border with Afghanistan. He belongs to a Turkmen national minority that despite its wide prevalence in the district is not considered the same as Tajiks, the main nationality in Tajikistan. After graduating from medical school Dr. Merdan couldn’t get continuous medical education to invest in his knowledge and skills. "I have a large family of 12, including my elderly parents, my wife, three children under the age of 10, three younger sisters and two brothers. My wife is a teacher, my sisters are not yet married, one of my brothers works in Russia, the other works on a small plot of familial land, growing vegetables for themselves and some for sale. Besides, he and his wife are the only breadwinners at the moment", says D-r Merdan.
“When I first heard about the training for family doctors provided by the Feed the Future Tajikistan Health and Nutrition activity in our district, I was very excited that I could gain new skills without traveling far from home. But during the training I felt very uncomfortable to speak, I was shy and not at all confident,” says Dr. Merdan.
The Feed the Future Tajikistan Health and Nutrition activity provided training and guidance to nearly 9,900 rural healthcare providers on nutrition and maternal and child health in Khatlon province.
“I ended up in a group of local trainers on nutrition, antenatal care, and infant and young child feeding. I was very proud to become one of two trainers in the entire district. I learned the latest best practices and honed my skills. I also practiced my training skills; it made me feel more confident. Thanks to the project, our primary healthcare center was provided with technical equipment and training modules and set up as a district training resource center. Now, I educate and train rural medical workers from our area in our own health facility,” adds Dr. Merdan.
Working closely with Tajikistan’s Ministry of Health and other stakeholders, the activity strengthens integrated healthcare at a family, community, clinical and national levels to improve maternal, newborn, and child health in Khatlon province.
Thanks to the activity’s support, the quality of the services for mothers and children in Dusti district has significantly improved, 73% more women receive quality antenatal care and iron and folic acid during pregnancy, medical providers can identify low-weight children and provide high-quality counseling to pregnant women and women with children under five.
“Recently, I was promoted to the position of Deputy Manager of the entire district primary health care system. People from my national minority usually are not promoted to high administrative positions. I believe it is because of the skills I’ve gained through the Feed the Future activity that has made this possible. Working with this activity, I have improved as a professional and now feel very confident about my abilities. I am happy that I can continue treating my patients, providing them with the care and treatment they deserve as well as mentoring my colleagues, so together, we can take care of all the mothers, wives, and children in our communities, keeping them healthy and happy,” concludes Dr. Merdan.
The Feed the Future Tajikistan Health and Nutrition activity runs from 2015 to 2020.
Feed the Future Tajikistan Health and Nutrition Activity