Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev has reviewed a presentation on attracting investment into the healthcare sector, expanding private sector participation and building major medical facilities.
A portfolio of 35 investment projects worth a total of US$2.7 billion has been assembled for the sector. The projects envisage the construction of specialised centres and multidisciplinary hospitals, equipping medical institutions with modern equipment, and training qualified personnel.
Plans for building new medical facilities and modernising existing ones are to take account of public needs. Their locations, capacity and range of services should correspond to demand. The presentation therefore examined ways to involve private companies in implementing projects and introduce new approaches to managing medical institutions.
The planned facilities include a National Oncology Centre, a Republican Centre for Neurology and Stroke, a multidisciplinary medical centre for adults in Tashkent Region, new hospitals in Kashkadarya Region and a maternal and child health centre in Nukus. Medical education programmes are also planned for Termez.
Under public-private partnership arrangements, Uzbekistan plans to build an 800-bed hospital in Samarkand and establish a multidisciplinary medical facility in Bukhara Region. The presentation outlined the practical implementation of these projects.
Proposals have also been prepared for nine prospective projects with a combined value of US$1 billion. They aim to develop infrastructure for neurological, psychological and addiction treatment services, paediatric oncology and haematology, improve emergency medical care, renew the ambulance fleet and train healthcare professionals.
To attract investment in a more systematic way, the government proposes developing a healthcare infrastructure strategy through 2040 based on a master plan. The first stage will involve taking stock of ongoing projects and assessing their relevance and feasibility. Projects will then be selected according to regional needs, investment profiles will be prepared, and a unified portfolio will be established.
The strategy is expected to identify priority areas for cooperation with private investors, international financial institutions and donors.
The presentation also addressed greater private sector involvement in medical and support services through outsourcing. Under a new procedure due to take effect next year, medical institutions will be able to purchase such services from private organisations.
The proposed approach envisages long-term contracts with service providers, advance specification of service volumes and quality requirements, and performance assessments based on clear criteria. The government aims to increase the share of outsourced services in procurement to 30% by 2030.
An electronic system called “Medical Outsourcing” is planned to improve transparency. It will maintain a unified register of services, providers and contracts, track the volume and quality of services delivered, and monitor payments. The system is also expected to be integrated with public procurement systems.
Another priority is to bring professional managers into leadership positions at major medical institutions. Candidates will be selected through open competitions, and their performance will be assessed annually against key performance indicators. The approach is planned for introduction at five major medical institutions by 2030.
Following the presentation, Mirziyoyev instructed responsible officials to further develop the investment strategy and proposed projects on the basis of the master plan and accelerate the implementation of initiatives already under way.
