Proposals on healthcare reviewed

On November 14, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev got acquainted with a presentation of proposals on early detection and effective treatment of diseases.

In Uzbekistan’s social policy, much attention is paid to healthcare. Over the past seven years, the amount of funds allocated to this area has increased sixfold. More than 400 high-tech operations, which were previously carried out only in Tashkent, are now performed in the regions and districts.

To detect diseases early, oncology, endocrinology, and cardiology centers conduct screening examinations in the regions. For example, 1 million 700 thousand women were screened, and 49 thousand were diagnosed with precancerous diseases. In the first half of this year, 122 thousand people were diagnosed with cardiovascular diseases and diabetes at an early stage.

Popular health protection is a continuous process. Based on the analysis and needs in the area, proposals have been prepared in essential areas. This was discussed at the presentation.

One of the main problems in treatment is the late detection of the disease. Therefore, at the initiative of the President of Uzbekistan, a bonus of 2 million UZS for each case of early detection of oncological diseases was introduced in Kashkadarya as an experiment. As a result, family doctors identified such signs in 51 women and children in the assigned mahallas. 102 million UZS in bonuses were allocated for this, which saved 8 billion UZS that would have been required for treatment if the disease had been detected late.

According to the analysis, on average, 20-25 percent of all oncological diseases are breast and uterine cancer. In this regard, it is planned to expand screenings and maintain a registry.

Also, this year, three-year programs for the early detection and treatment of hematological, cardiological, and endocrinological diseases will be completed. Responsible persons have been instructed to analyze the achieved results and consider the possibility of extending these programs.

The centralized procurement of medicines for medical institutions has shortcomings. Some hospitals have purchased fewer drugs than required, while others have an excess.

In this regard, a system for purchasing medicines and medical devices based on fifteen-month demand is proposed. At the same time, the needs for subsequent years will be formed no later than August 1, simultaneously with the parameters of the State Budget.

Also, a Procurement Center and its 13 regional branches will be created under the Ministry of Health. From January 1, 2025, the center can purchase original medicines and consumables for closed-type laboratory equipment directly from manufacturers.

Another proposal expands donor support. In particular, the one-time cash reward for holders of the “Honorary Donor of the Republic of Uzbekistan” badge is increased from 5 to 15 basic calculation units. They will also be granted the right to free use of public transport and out-of-turn treatment in state sanatoriums.

The introduction of the new system is scheduled for January 1 next year.

The issue of introducing a procedure for informing the World Trade Organization about sanitary and phytosanitary measures applied in the country was also considered.