Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev held an open dialogue with medical workers on 18 March.

The event was preceded by a long preparation, the opinions of doctors and the population were studied. More than 25 thousand appeals were received, 8 thousand of which concerned personal issues and were resolved on the spot. 17 thousand appeals are devoted to systemic problems.

The head of our state in his speech outlined 7 areas of work developed on the basis of generalization and systematization of appeals. The first direction is the approximation of primary medical services to the population, the second is the development of emergency medical care, the third is the improvement of conditions in medical institutions, the fourth is material incentives for workers in the field, the fifth is providing hospitals with qualified personnel, the sixth is improving the culture of healthy life in society, the seventh is prevention diseases.

The President separately dwelled on each of the areas and put forward new initiatives.

For example, 55 percent of calls concern primary care facilities. In this regard, further expansion of the network of polyclinics in the field has been determined.

In particular, mahalla medical centers will be organized in more than 2,000 remote and hard-to-reach mahallas. The Rural Doctor program will be further improved, and starting from 1 May 2022, an additional allowance of 2 million soums will be paid to the monthly salary of doctors operating in remote and hard-to-reach areas. From now on, a doctor who has been continuously working in such areas for three years will be admitted to clinical residency without exams.

According to the second direction, a separate program will be adopted to improve the quality of emergency medical care and its accessibility to the population. First of all, the 103 ambulance service will be included in a single management system at the level of the republic, region, city and district. From now on, the ambulance will serve not within the boundaries of the district or region, but at the shortest distance to the patient. In 2022–2025, all Damas vehicles and other obsolete vehicles will be replaced with modern vehicles.

Over the past five years, about 2,000 medical institutions have been built and renovated. This work will be continued, conditions will improve in 1100 hospitals. The Digitalization Program for all areas of medicine will be adopted, starting with primary care. In the next two years, all medical institutions will be equipped with new computers, paperwork will be reduced, and modern methods will be introduced.

As part of the fourth direction, measures to support medical workers have been identified. From June 1, 2022, the salaries of medical workers will be increased by 15 percent, depending on the qualification category. Physicians performing complex high-tech surgeries will be paid a 25 percent bonus. Pre-employment screenings and regular health screenings will be free of charge for all healthcare workers.

The issue of staffing the sphere is also relevant. 45 percent of doctors and 40 percent of nurses do not have a category. Many institutions lack specialists.

In this regard, from the 2022-2023 academic year, quotas for admission to medical universities on the basis of state grants will be purposefully increased based on the real need of the regions for doctors. Medical universities will implement a targeted program of six-month specialization in the medical specialties most in demand in the regions. From now on, all medical colleges and technical schools will be assigned to medical universities.

According to the World Health Organization, human health is 19 percent environmental, 20 percent genetic, 9 percent health care, and 52 percent lifestyle. Therefore, the sixth direction is aimed at establishing a healthy lifestyle in society.

Starting this year, a rating system for evaluating the effectiveness of medical teams, family medical centers and family clinics will be introduced. Medical workers with positive results will be encouraged. A separate badge "Khalq salomatligi posboni" will be established.

In the seventh direction, tasks in the field of disease prevention are outlined. The medical system will be transferred to financing on the principle of "spending funds directly on the patient." Until the end of this year, the system of medical insurance will be fully established in Syrdarya region, and in the coming years it will be introduced in all regions. A national health accounting system will be introduced, which will allow for medical-economic and statistical analysis.

For each task set by the President, specific sources of funding, technical solutions and practical mechanisms have been identified.

“We are ready to use any means and opportunities to ensure the health of our people. For me personally, the health of the nation above and beyond all. But are we using the attention that is paid to the medical sphere in the country correctly and effectively? This question worries me a lot. The leaders of the sphere are obliged to appreciate every allocated sum, and our people should feel the effectiveness of the measures taken in their lives,” the President said.

The need for the complete eradication of corruption in the system was indicated.

“A doctor should have clean not only his white coat, but first of all his soul and hands,” the head of state said.

The medical workers who spoke during the open dialogue spoke about the problems they face in their activities, outlined their vision and proposals. The President discussed the voiced opinions with experts and gave relevant instructions to responsible persons.