Ulaanbaatar, January 18, 2024 /MONTSAME/ A policy consultation meeting was held on January 16 under the theme "Healthy Mongolian National Campaign-Scientific Understanding of Population Health" at the State Palace, with the participation of international scholars and academics.

Three pillar national campaigns "Food Supply and Security", "One Billion Trees" and "Healthy Mongolian" initiated by the President of Mongolia Khurelsukh Ukhnaa are being implemented throughout Mongolia. The “Healthy Mongolian” national campaign is a public health measure aimed at extending the average life expectancy of Mongolians, promoting health, and developing people’s physical fitness based on medical science. The experience, scientific knowledge, and innovation of academics and researchers play a crucial role in defining the policy, legal reforms, activities, and influence work, and in the evaluation of the implementation progress, and the short-term and long-term results.

Advisor to the President of Mongolia on Health, Sports and Social Policy T. Munkhsaikhan highlighted that the consultation meeting is a step to advance the “Healthy Mongolian” national campaign to the next level. During the meeting, the Advisor noted, “As part of the first phase of the campaign, the policy and actions aimed at reducing the consumption of alcohol, which has the most harmful impact on the health of Mongolians. Another negative side effect is tobacco addiction. We are focusing on reducing tobacco consumption, especially among youth. A survey on tobacco consumption has been conducted and preliminary conclusions have been drawn. Based on the survey's overall results, we will determine further action."

“The results of a study on the consumption of sugar and sweetened beverages have been summarized. The results have shown that sugar-sweetened beverages and products are not only harmful to children's health, they are also the main cause of obesity and cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, we will study international tax policies, actions, and regulations implemented in the production stage, and take comprehensive measures. The measures taken in the past were incomplete and the short-term having led us to where we are today.”

Mohsen Naghavi, professor at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation of the University of Washington, USA stated, “There are three main factors that Mongolians should pay attention to extend the average life expectancy and protect the population's health. The first problem is the high burden of diseases attributable to alcohol and tobacco use. Second, the prevalence of hepatitis B and C virus infections. Hepatitis B booster vaccination is required. This will prevent new infections and reduce the risks. The last one is high blood pressure. So, everyone over the age of 20 should measure their blood pressure. If you are diagnosed with high blood pressure, you should receive regular treatment. I also recommended to focus on reducing maternal and child morbidity and mortality. Looking at the experiences of countries around the world, each country has a different solution to its problems. Therefore, it is necessary to find and implement decisions that are most appropriate to solve the pressing problem.”

With Decree No. 43 aimed at intensifying the “Healthy Mongolian” national campaign the President of Mongolia instructed the Government of Mongolia to reduce the alcohol content every year, increase the excise tax, educate citizens, implement a wide range of influence work for the development of healthy behavior, and improve access to healthcare assistance for addiction disorders. In July 2022, the State Great Khural made amendments to more than 10 related laws, including the Law on Control of Alcoholic Beverages and Combating Alcohol Abuse, the Law on Excise Tax, which took effect last year. According to the data of the National Statistical Office of Mongolia, there is a positive change in the consumption of alcoholic beverages. For instance,  alcohol sale decreased by 2.2 million liters: 16.8 million liters of alcoholic beverages were sold in the first half of 2022 and went down to 14.6 million liters in the same period of 2023. Also, crimes committed under the influence of alcohol decreased by 15.8 percent, drunk driving by 26.0 percent, and traffic accidents by 41.3 percent.

Dr. M. Undram from Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences emphasized “Our country ranks high in the world in the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. Sugar-sweetened beverages include sodas, fruit drinks, 100 percent fruit juice, and energy drinks. Although these products are pleasant to use, there is no nutrition in them. It is recommended not to use this type of product in childhood, and use it in as small quantities as possible.

G. Dorjbalam, the coordinator of the survey “Tobacco use among teenagers and young people”, noted that people are using two types of tobacco: cigarettes and electronic cigarettes. According to this survey, the main reasons for using e-cigarettes are smell, taste, and simple use. But in fact, e-cigarettes have a negative effect that causes the subsequent addiction process. In other words, different flavors and aromas accelerate the addiction process.  Some recent studies revealed that there is an increase in the number of healthy young children with lung abnormalities due to the use of e-cigarettes.” 

The meeting jointly organized by the Office of the President of Mongolia and the National Center for Health Development was attended by 80 representatives including from the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Justice and Home Affairs, Ministry of Food, Agriculture, and Light Industry, Ministry of Education and Science, General Police Agency, Governor’s Office of aimags, Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences, Mongolian Academy of Sciences and Health Departments of aimags.

                                                                                                                                                      Translated by Sainzaya Davaajamts