Uzbekistan Extends Psychiatry and Addiction Training

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The Ministry of Health of the Republic of Uzbekistan has presented a draft presidential decree, “On Measures to Transform the System of Psychiatric and Addiction Care for the Population,” proposing a two-year duration for master’s programs and clinical residencies in the fields of addiction medicine, psychiatry, and medical psychology.

The reform is planned to be implemented starting from the 2026–2027 academic year.

Under the new structure, master’s students and clinical residents will be able to undergo internships and hold positions as psychiatrists and addiction specialists in specialized institutions, as well as work as paramedics within psychiatric emergency response teams.

Psychiatry specialists will be trained to provide care for adults and children, serve as psychoneurologists and suicide prevention experts, while addiction specialists will operate in dedicated addiction care services.

Additionally, graduates completing the “Emergency Psychiatric Care” specialization will be authorized to work as psychiatrists within emergency medical services.

Until the end of 2030, training at the master’s and clinical residency stages will be fully financed through state grants, aligned with the needs of mental health services.

In remote regions, base rental allowances for specialists—including addiction physicians, psychiatrists, medical psychologists, psychotherapists, and members of psychiatric emergency teams—will be covered by local budgets, up to five times the base calculation rate.

Starting from 1 January 2027, salaries for psychiatrists, child psychoneurologists, medical psychologists, addiction specialists, psychotherapists, and suicide prevention experts in multi-sector central district and city clinics, as well as in psychiatric and addiction institutions, will be increased by 100% for work under challenging conditions, regardless of position.

The implementation of these measures is aimed at strengthening the psychiatric and addiction care system across Uzbekistan, improving the qualifications of specialists, and ensuring access to specialized medical services in all regions.