Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — On 8 July, the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan approved in the third reading amendments to existing legislation requiring mandatory HIV testing for citizens returning from abroad after stays exceeding 90 days. This was reported by the press service of the lower house of parliament.

The amendments affect the laws “On Counteracting the Spread of Disease Caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV Infection)” and “On Sanitary and Epidemiological Welfare of the Population.” The draft is now forwarded for consideration and approval by the Senate of the Oliy Majlis.

The new procedure will apply to Uzbek citizens aged 18 to 60, as well as foreign nationals and stateless persons permanently residing in Uzbekistan or arriving in the country for employment purposes. The basis for mandatory testing is a stay abroad exceeding 90 days, considering the long incubation period of HIV and other infectious diseases.

According to the document, the testing of Uzbek citizens will be financed from the state budget, whereas foreign nationals and stateless persons will pay personally or have their testing covered by their employer.

Previously, at a parliamentary session of the Democratic Party “Milliy Tiklanish,” it was reported that in 2024, only a quarter of the 1.7 million citizens returning from abroad underwent voluntary HIV testing, which revealed the virus in 1,512 individuals.

Given the trend of increasing labor migration and the growing number of returning citizens, deputies emphasized the necessity of strengthening preventive measures and early detection of infections, including through legislative initiatives.

According to the latest data, in 2024 the number of Uzbek citizens working abroad decreased by one and a half times to 1.3 million. Specifically, the number of migrants in Russia declined by 1.7 times, reaching approximately 700 thousand people.