President of Uzbekistan Reviews Proposals to Enhance Healthcare Services
Tashkent, The Gulf Observer: President Shavkat Mirziyoyev recently reviewed a comprehensive presentation on proposals to equip medical institutions with advanced technology and improve the quality of healthcare services across the country.
Modernizing Uzbekistan’s healthcare sector remains a top priority, with a commitment to allocating at least 100 billion UZS from the state budget annually. In 2023 alone, the sector attracted $200 million in foreign investments and $94 million in grants, enabling the procurement of cutting-edge medical equipment such as CT scanners, MRI machines, and angiographs. Once limited to national medical institutions, these technologies are now available in regional and district hospitals, bringing specialized medical services closer to the population.
This year, an expanded budget of 200 billion UZS has been earmarked for medical equipment, with an anticipated $370 million in foreign investment to further enhance healthcare infrastructure.
Key Initiatives
- Procurement of Medical Equipment:
- $100 million from the Asian Development Bank will be utilized to acquire 21,000 units of medical equipment across 45 categories, including six emergency ambulances for 230 maternity institutions nationwide.
- €30 million from Germany’s KfW Bank will fund 862 units of cardiovascular treatment equipment for 19 medical institutions in Karakalpakstan and Khorezm.
- Training and Development:
- A €13.5 million grant from KfW Bank will establish a state-of-the-art training center and student dormitory in Termez, featuring modern simulation-based training equipment and advanced information technologies.
- President Mirziyoyev stressed the importance of training qualified specialists to operate the new equipment effectively. He directed the organization of additional training programs for doctors and nurses at relevant institutions.
- Optimizing Equipment Usage:
- The current utilization rates of medical equipment, including angiographs and CT scanners, remain suboptimal. Angiograph usage in regional hospitals averages only 34 percent, with significant disparities in scanner usage across various areas.
- To address this, outsourcing and public-private partnership (PPP) projects will be implemented in collaboration with local administrations, aiming to improve efficiency and accessibility of healthcare services.
President Mirziyoyev emphasized that ensuring the effective use of existing medical resources and expanding specialized services are critical to advancing the country’s healthcare system. The outlined initiatives reflect Uzbekistan’s ongoing commitment to strengthening public health and enhancing the quality of medical care for all citizens.
