On October 18, a meeting devoted to the analysis of the ongoing reforms on improving the healthcare system, the quality and effectiveness of medical care, strengthening public health, providing qualitative medicines was held under the chairmanship of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

The meeting was attended by the State advisors to the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan and his deputy, heads of relevant ministries and departments. 

The President of our country has already held three videoconferences for the current year, devoted to healthcare issues. Specific instructions were given on radical improvement of activity in the sphere, elimination of existing problems and shortcomings that cause people’s just dissatisfaction. Implementation of programs in this direction was comprehensively considered. 

The Head of our state, during the trips to the Republic of Karakalpakstan and the regions, got acquainted with conditions in hospitals, polyclinics, rural medical stations, gave instructions for the construction of modern clinics. 

Approximately 30 decrees and resolutions, aimed at further development of the sphere, enhancing the scale and improving the quality of medical care, were adopted. 

We still have a lot to do in terms of providing the population with qualitative and affordable medicines, protecting motherhood and childhood, improving emergency medical care, further improving primary healthcare, developing the private sector and specialized medical care, said Shavkat Mirziyoyev. 

At the meeting, information of the heads of relevant ministries and departments was heard. 

Rural family clinics on the basis of 793 rural health units and 441 emergency medical care stations are established within the framework of implementation of the resolution on improving primary medico-sanitary care. The buildings of the closed 658 rural medical stations are given to doctors as official housing. In addition, activity of doctors of narrow specialization in 5 areas in rural family polyclinics and 10 areas in family polyclinics in Tashkent has been established. In order to improve the personnel provision of the primary system, 79 percent of 3 197 young professionals who graduated from medical schools were employed. 

What are the results of the implemented work, how did this affect people’s lives? Appeals from the population indicate that much remains to be implemented in the sphere, said Shavkat Mirziyoyev. 

Among the actual problems is the insufficient level of quality of medical services rendered to the population in the regions, noted the Head of our state. It is necessary to recognize that the population has to come to Tashkent from the regions for receiving high-tech medical care, which causes complaints among people. 

At the meeting it was noted that 134 candidates were selected from among the leading specialists of the capital who took the initiative to work in the regions in order to solve this problem. They are appointed to executive positions in multidisciplinary medical centers of the regions, including children’s hospitals, endocrinological, cardiological, anti-tuberculosis, dermatology and venereology dispensaries, branches of cancer centers, hospitals for infectious diseases. 

One of the actual issues that are causing the population’s just dissatisfaction is related to the activity of the emergency medical care, said the Head of our state. There is still much to be done in this direction. There is a shortage in vehicles, interruptions in medicines supply. 

If there were 806 stations and emergency medical care substations in 2016, in 2017 their number exceeded 2 100. This plays an important role in the timely arrival of emergency medical care teams for each call. 

The need of increasing not only the quality of provided services in this direction, but also the culture of the population in the use of these services was noted at the meeting. 

Social diseases are one of the actual problems of world medicine. In our country, special programs have been developed and resolutions of the President have been adopted in various areas of healthcare. 

Branches of republican specialized centers are being organized in the regions. More than 50 of our compatriots, working in foreign clinics, returned to the homeland. 

By the resolution of the Head of our state, the terms of training in the undergraduate medical schools were reduced from 7 to 6 years, in the area of “Medical prevention” – from 6 to 5 years. This serves as an important factor in bringing the national system of medical education in line with international standards, improving personnel provision at places and targeted spending of the State budget. 

In accordance with the decree of the President of our country on improvement of the system of state support for the disabled, 8,4 thousand disabled people are provided with free prosthetic and orthopedic products, over 9,3 thousand people in need – with technical means of rehabilitation. More than 23 thousand veterans of the war of 1941-1945, lonely elderly, pensioners and invalids passed a free course of recovery in sanatoriums. 

By the resolution on improving the development of private healthcare sector, the list of medical specializations that private medical institutions can deal with has been expanded from 50 to 126. Joint clinics are being established in cooperation with foreign countries, including in Tashkent – jointly with South Korea, India, Turkey, in Jizzakh with South Korea, with India in Fergana, Karshi and Kumkurgan district. Over the past 9 months, the number of private medical institutions increased by 400, their total number exceeded 3 860, which is a result of benefits and preferences granted to private medical institutions. 

This year, the “Uzpharmsanoat” company mastered the production of 76 new types of products. The volume of production of medicines and medical products has increased 4 times since 2011. 

With the aim of developing a new pharmaceutical product based on high technologies, loans at the amount of 250 million dollars have been allocated from Uzbekistan Reconstruction and Development Fund. More than 70 investment projects with a total cost of almost 400 million dollars have been launched, 33 of which will be completed this year. 

The adopted resolution of the Head of our state “On establishment of free economic zones “Nukus-pharm”, “Zomin-pharm”, “Kosonsoy-pharm”, “Syrdaryo-pharm”, “Boysun-pharm”, “Bustonlik-pharm” and “Parkent-parm” primarily serves the development of the pharmaceutical industry, supporting of manufacturers of medicines and medical products, filling the market of medicines with high-quality domestic products, as well as further increasing the export of medicines and medical products. 

The consistent work carried out in this direction is giving its results. For example, an increase in the export of pharmaceutical products by 40 percent has been achieved, the productivity of a worker in the sphere has increased by 35 percent through the introduction of high technologies, the assortment of medicines produced by domestic pharmaceutical enterprises has exceeded 2,3 thousand items. 

At the meeting, a number of actual tasks awaiting their solution were considered. In particular, the need of improving the coverage of the population with patronage, especially in rural areas, strengthening the material and technical base of primary medico-sanitary care institutions and ensuring their close interaction with inpatient facilities, was noted. Responsible persons were given appropriate instructions on further development of private healthcare sector. 

Special attention was paid to issues of further improvement of the emergency medical care, strengthening the material and technical base of screening centers and improving the quality of manufactured prosthetic and orthopedic products, technical rehabilitation means. It is necessary to reform the process of preparing design and estimate documentation of construction and repair works at healthcare facilities, attracting foreign investments and highly qualified specialists in private medicine. 

It is planned to develop the State program for 2018-2022 in order to fully cover the population with patronage and systematic medical examination, further improve and increase the availability of screening services for mothers and children and medical genetic services for the population. 

At the meeting, the state of affairs in the issue of qualification and personal responsibility of medical workers was criticized. It is planned to introduce a system of licensing the activities of all specialists of the state and private healthcare sector for eliminating the existing shortcomings in this direction. 

Actual tasks facing the sphere were identified at the meeting. The heads of ministries and departments were given corresponding instructions.