Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan will fundamentally reform its system for training medical and pharmaceutical personnel. The measures are stipulated in Presidential Decree No. UP-191 “On Measures to Fundamentally Improve the System for Training Personnel in Medicine and Pharmacy,” dated 10 September 2026.
Starting from the 2027/2028 academic year, the Ministry of Health will approve state order quotas for bachelor’s degree programs in medical education for each field. The Center for Scientific Research on Population Health Analysis will become the main working body responsible for assessing current and projected demand for medical and pharmaceutical personnel.
Admission quotas will be determined based on the needs of regions and medical organizations, as well as staffing shortages in the relevant specialties.
Starting from the 2027/2028 academic year, a six-year “General Medicine” program based on the “Medicine” bachelor’s program will be introduced under a “5+1” format. The final year of study will be devoted entirely to practical training. Students already enrolled in the relevant years of the “Medicine” program will continue their studies under adapted plans and programs.
Graduates of the “General Medicine” program will receive the qualification of general practitioner, allowing them to work as family doctors in accordance with established procedures. A full year of practical training will also be introduced for final-year students in all medical bachelor’s programs. To provide practical training for dental students, dental clinics will be assigned to medical universities.
To train specialists in narrow medical fields, residency programs of varying durations will be gradually introduced on the basis of clinical residency in line with international standards. Training will be provided at state medical educational organizations and medical institutions through state grants.
Starting from the 2026/2027 academic year, residency in “Family Medicine” will be introduced. Graduates will receive the specialty of family doctor.
From the 2027/2028 academic year, the training of specialists in narrow medical fields will be fully transferred to the residency format.
Admission to clinical residency will be discontinued, while funds released as a result of reducing admission quotas for master’s programs in narrow medical specialties within the overall state order will be redirected to residency training.
Residents admitted under state grants will receive a monthly stipend from the State Budget equal to 2.15 times the minimum wage. Graduates will receive state-standard diplomas corresponding to Level 7 of the International Standard Classification of Education and the National Qualifications Framework.
Starting from the 2027/2028 academic year, primary and additional specialization in narrow medical fields will be carried out exclusively through residency. At the same time, admission quotas for master’s programs will be reduced to 20% of their previous level, and the training of narrow specialists through master’s programs will be discontinued.
At the same time, admission to master’s programs will be permitted for people with higher education who do not have a specialized degree but have education in related fields. Master’s programs will focus on training research, teaching and management personnel, while for people without a specialized degree, they will be limited to research personnel training.
Non-state medical and educational organizations will be allowed to provide residency training at their own expense, taking into account the need for narrow specialists.
Family medicine residents will study and undergo practical training at family clinics assigned by the Ministry of Health to medical universities. Medical services there will be provided by both academic staff and residents.
The decree also establishes new requirements for training and knowledge assessment. Starting from the 2027/2028 academic year, the minimum admission threshold for bachelor’s programs in medicine and pharmacy will be 60% of the maximum entrance examination score, including for targeted admissions.
Starting from the 2026/2027 academic year, the minimum score for completing each academic module in bachelor’s, master’s and residency programs, as well as for state examinations, will be 70% for medical specialties and 60% for specialties for secondary medical personnel.
Additional specialization in narrow medical fields through short-term courses and retraining programs will also be abolished, while admission to primary targeted specialization courses (internships) will be discontinued.
Starting from the 2027/2028 academic year, the “Medical Support” specialty will be introduced on the basis of the professional specialty “Nursing,” while the bachelor’s program “Higher Nursing” will be replaced with the bachelor’s field “Higher Medical Support.” Women will receive the qualification of nurse, while men will receive the qualification of male nurse.
State order quotas for the “Higher Medical Support” bachelor’s program will increase annually by at least 20% through the 2030/2031 academic year.
Starting from the 2027/2028 academic year, admission to two-year training programs for secondary medical personnel will also be discontinued.
Joint educational programs with universities in developed foreign countries are planned for the “Higher Medical Support” bachelor’s program. A master’s program will be launched to train research and teaching personnel in the “Medical Support” specialty.
Starting from 1 January 2027, medical, pharmaceutical and teaching personnel will receive monthly allowances added to their basic tariff rates or official salaries. Nurses and male nurses with bachelor’s degrees will receive an allowance equal to one minimum wage, while master’s graduates will receive two minimum wages. Family doctors who have completed residency in family medicine, as well as teaching personnel who have completed a master’s program in this field, will receive an allowance equal to four minimum wages.
A separate Presidential Decree No. UP-192, dated 10 September 2026, introduces a system of state registration for medical and pharmaceutical workers. It will be implemented in stages starting from 1 July 2027. Registration will apply to specialists in fields included in the nomenclature of medical and pharmaceutical activities.
The Ministry of Health will determine the list of specialties for which registration will require a special examination or will be conducted without one, based on the degree of medical impact workers have on patients.
For this purpose, a Unified Electronic Register of Specialists in Medicine and Pharmacy will be established. It will provide state registration, monitoring of professional activities and free access to relevant information.
Until 2030, registration will be voluntary and valid for five years, based either on the results of a special examination or automatically upon the assignment of qualification categories.
Starting from 2030, the right to practice medicine and pharmacy will be granted only to registered specialists for a period of five years. Working without state registration will be prohibited, and the practice of assigning qualification categories to medical and pharmaceutical workers will be abolished.
Categories assigned before 2030 will remain valid until their established expiration date. Related allowances and rights associated with the position held will also remain in effect for the corresponding period.
Current specialists for whom a special examination is required will be able to obtain temporary registration for one year if they fail the examination, provided they retake it during that period and continue their professional activities.
For specialists who have not continuously worked in their specialty for three years or more after registration, returning to professional practice will be possible after successfully completing specialization courses and obtaining state registration again.
Medical and pharmaceutical workers with at least 20 years of experience in a specialty subject to state registration and holding an academic degree will be registered without a special examination.
