On 22 January, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev got acquainted with the presentation of proposals to accelerate reforms in the healthcare sector.

The Uzbekistan-2030 strategy defines several tasks to protect public health and improve the quality of medicine. To accelerate these reforms and their effective implementation, proposals were developed with the participation of international experts.

Thus, it was proposed to establish an office for the “Healthcare Projects Centre” within the Ministry of Health as a government agency. The Centre will be responsible for such areas as full implementation of the state health insurance system and the package of free medical services and medications guaranteed by the state, strengthening the system of control over the quality and safety of medical services, increasing the potential of personnel, and developing a system of medical education and science based on international standards. The Centre will also contribute to the widespread introduction of digital technologies, accelerating public-private partnership projects, expanding the private sector, increasing the transparency of government procurement, and reforming the pharmaceutical industry.

Experienced specialists from specialized medical centres, higher education, and research institutions, as well as foreign experts and consultants, will be involved in the activities of the project office on a contractual basis.

Reforms in the healthcare sector require appropriate specialists. Therefore, several measures are envisaged in this regard. 

In particular, the educational programs of the Tashkent Medical Academy will undergo international accreditation. Postgraduate programs in public health, preventive medicine, and physical activity will be launched.  The academic performance of students in medical schools will be assessed through state examinations in two stages based on an internationally recognized system.

From the next academic year, based on the needs of the regions, 200 graduates from medical schools will be trained in leading foreign educational institutions on master's and clinical residency programs.

Also, specialized centers of surgery, cardiology, endocrinology, dermatovenerology, and cosmetology, Children's National Medical Center, and National Medical Center will undergo international accreditation.

This year, 40 existing sanitary rules and norms will be revised and aligned with international standards.

The Head of State approved these proposals and ordered the creation of an action plan for the implementation of these priorities.