They also influenced subsequent events, including victory in the 44-day war and the return of Karabakh to the country. These prosess are key milestones in the modern history of the country, connected by a common line of struggle for independence, territorial integrity and national identity. Events separated by thirty years reflect the process of national awakening, consolidation and mobilization that shaped the modern Azerbaijani nation.

On January 19, at Analytical Expertise Center of MOH of the Republic of Azerbaijan were honored, the tragedy of January 20 and the martyrs who gave their lives for our independence, which went down in the history of the struggle for freedom and territorial integrity as a heroic page. The AEC’s collective gathered in the assembly hall of the Center honored the Martyrs with a minute of silence. Later, there was a demostration of a documentary film that January 20 is not only a tragedy in the history of Azerbaijan, but also the first peak of the country’s path to independence, the awakening of the desire for freedom of our national ideology, a glorious history when people who lived for many years under the rule of the Soviet empire, raised their voice for freedom and showed courage in the fight for their sovereignty.

We honor with pride!

One of the key aspects of this process is the need to inform about how the System works not only pharmacies dealing with psychotropic and potent drugs, but also those handling other types of medicines.

How should pharmacists in pharmacies work with this System?

The basic studies show that about half of all side effects are preventable. Patient safety is our top priority, and during the MedSafetyWeek campaign, we would like to remind patients to be careful when taking medicine and healthcare professionals to be careful before prescribing treatment for them.

The Analytical Expertise Center of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Azerbaijan participates in this year’s social media campaign, as every year, and supports the importance of reporting side effects through the Notification Card.

MedSafetyWeek is a company that will cover 106 organizations from 94 countries of the world and is a joint initiative of the authorities that control medicines.

It should be noted that through the official website of the Center, social accounts, as well as organized trainings, educational information on the use of the “Tracking and Tracing System of Medicines” is regularly shared.

In this regard, employees of the Medicines Tracking and Tracing Department of the Analytical Expertise Center of the Ministry of Health regularly conduct trainings and educational meetings for all participants of the “Tracking and Tracing System of Medicines”. The next training was organized for representatives of private medical institutions on May 25, 2024. In the training, which was attended by 63 representatives from 46 private medical institutions, the entire process from start to finish was clearly demonstrated, and questions that arose were answered. The problems and difficulties faced by users in the process of launching the system were discussed.

The first presentation covered the topics “Pharmacovigilance and its goals”, “History of pharmacovigilance”, “Side effects and their significance”. Both theoretical and visual information is presented on the current legislation of the Azerbaijan Republic on pharmacovigilance and the activities of the pharmacovigilance system within the framework of this legislation.

It was especially emphasized that the Republic of Azerbaijan has also been a full member since 2018 of the WHO International Drug Monitoring Programme, which has been joined by more than 157 countries to ensure safer and more effective use of medicines. Collaboration at the international level by the Center for Analytical Expertise as a regulatory body acting at the national level to reduce risks to patients, establish global standards and pharmacovigilance systems, and identify adverse events associated with the use of medicines was also noted.

The second part of the training continued with a presentation on the topic “Requirements for the storage of medicines in medical institutions.” In particular, the rules for storing medicines with limited civil circulation were brought to the attention of participants, with detailed illustrative examples. All important topics, from the book of reports on psychotropic substances, narcotic drugs in medical institutions to forms of acts on the destruction of used narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, were clarified and presented to the participants. At the end of the training, informative discussions were held, and questions from participants were answered.

It should be noted that the topics were presented by AEC employees Khalisa Akberova and Vafa Abilova.

At the event, which was attended by more than 50 representatives from 35 enterprises, employees of Analytical Expertise Center, who are members of the working group on the “Tracking and Tracing System of Medicines”, clearly demonstrated the entire process from the beginning to the end of using the system, and provided answers to emerging questions. Basic information about the use of system subsystems was also presented, explained with examples of operations.

Introducing the video interview.

32 years have passed since the Khojaly tragedy. This date was also honored with respect at the Analytical Expertise Center of the Ministry of Health. On February 23, employees gathered in the assembly hall of the Center and honored the memory of those killed in the Khojaly tragedy with a minute of silence.

In the speech of the employees, it was emphasized that after the restoration of territorial integrity, the liberation of our lands from occupation through the efforts of the brave Azerbaijan Army led by Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, the Khojaly tragedy was honored in the spirit of the Victorious People. After the speeches, a documentary film about the Khojaly tragedy was presented.

The people will always remember this tragedy!!!