“Purchasing center” will be established under Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Health

A new "Purchasing Center" and its 13 regional branches will soon be established under Uzbekistan's Ministry of Health. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev discussed this plan on November 14 during a presentation focused on early disease detection and improved treatment effectiveness.

Starting January 1, 2025, the center will be able to directly procure original drugs and consumables for closed laboratory equipment from manufacturers.

Healthcare has become a major priority in Uzbekistan’s social policy. Over the past seven years, health funding has increased sixfold, enabling high-tech medical operations to expand beyond Tashkent to regions and districts. Regional screenings at oncology, endocrinology, and cardiology centers are helping detect diseases earlier.

For example, recent screenings identified 49,000 pre-cancerous cases among 1.7 million women, and 122,000 individuals were diagnosed with early-stage cardiovascular disease and diabetes in the first half of 2024.

A significant challenge remains late-stage diagnosis. As part of an initiative in Kashkadarya, family doctors are awarded 2 million soums for each early oncology diagnosis. This experiment led to the detection of early signs in 51 women and children, earning medical teams 102 million soums in incentives and preventing 8 billion soums in late-stage treatment costs.

Notably, breast and uterine cancers account for about 20-25% of oncological diseases in women. Consequently, screening programs will be expanded, and a registry will be maintained. The country’s three-year initiatives for early hematology, cardiology, and endocrinology screenings are also set to end this year, with plans to evaluate their impact and potentially extend them.

Centralized drug procurement has presented challenges, as some hospitals received either insufficient or excess supplies. In response, a fifteen-month supply forecasting system will be implemented, aligning future medical needs with State budget planning by August each year.

In a proposal to enhance donor support, the "Honorary Donor of the Republic of Uzbekistan" badge will come with benefits such as a monetary reward increased to 15 times the base calculation amount, free public transport access, and priority treatment at state hospitals.

Starting January 1, 2025, these new measures will take effect. Additionally, procedures for notifying the World Trade Organization about Uzbekistan’s sanitary and phytosanitary standards were reviewed.