Uzbekistan to expand free medicines and medical tests list from 2027

Uzbekistan will expand its guaranteed medical care package. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced on October 27, at a meeting with healthcare and pharmaceutical workers at the Kuksaroy residence, that from 2027 the number of free medicines will rise to 73 and the number of medical test types to 36. Polyclinics currently provide 69 medicines free of charge.

According to the president, early detection of stomach, colon, prostate and lung cancer will begin in Samarkand and be introduced in all regions from 2028, with 700 billion sum allocated annually. A programme for early detection of heart attacks and strokes, implemented in Andijan, Fergana, Namangan, Samarkand and Tashkent, reduced mortality in the early stages of these diseases by 15 percent over five months. Some 855 people were saved from early death and disability, and 280 billion sum has been allocated for the programme next year.

Mirziyoyev also highlighted primary healthcare reform. A new model was tested in 28 districts, where 7 million people were assigned to family doctors. From 2027 it will be introduced in 100 more districts. Over the past decade, new polyclinics and hospitals serving 10 million people have been commissioned, creating 58,000 new hospital beds.