On May 5, president Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed a decree aimed at significantly enhancing management efficiency within Uzbekistan's healthcare system.
According to the document, three new specialized entities will be established under the Ministry of Health:
Second, the Clinical Audit Inspectorate and its provincial branches will be created as a legal entity. This body will serve as the primary authority overseeing medical services provided by both state and private healthcare organizations. Its mission is to assess service quality, ensure patient safety, and monitor compliance with clinical protocols. The head of the Inspectorate will be appointed and dismissed by the Minister of Health, subject to approval from the presidential Administration.
Third, a Media Content Center will be set up as a state institution. Its role is to provide the public with timely and objective information regarding healthcare news, services, and government policy, while systematically gathering and analyzing public opinion. This media marketing hub will be funded by a 1% levy on revenues from paid medical services provided by provincial and national hospitals, along with the Ministry’s extra-budgetary funds and other legal sources.
The decree also outlines a restructuring of the Ministry's administrative staff. The central apparatus will expand from 189 to 298 positions, led by a First Deputy Minister and five Deputy Ministers. Furthermore, 128 positions have been allocated to the Clinical Audit Inspectorate, 30 to the Health Analysis Center, 68 to the Committee for Sanitary-Epidemiological Well-being, and 42 to the Agency for the Development of the Medical and Pharmaceutical Industry.
To facilitate these changes, additional staff positions will be created by optimizing 880 existing roles within the Committee for Sanitary-Epidemiological Well-being and Public Health.
Executive-level staff at the Ministry of Health will now be subject to the same compensation terms established for employees of the National Agency for Social Protection.
The Minister of Health has been granted expanded powers. Specifically, the Minister can now establish project offices funded by the Ministry’s extra-budgetary resources and the State Medical Development Fund, launch pilot projects, and hire local or international experts under civil law contracts. Additionally, the Minister is authorized to set the requirements and standards for the digitalization of the healthcare system.
The "Healthcare Project Center" will be dissolved, with all its rights, obligations, and contracts transferred directly to the Ministry of Health.
The Ministry is also tasked with launching an outsourced call center to handle public inquiries, complaints, and suggestions. This will include a feedback loop designed to collect and analyze real-time data on the quality, accessibility, and shortcomings of medical services.
Starting September 1, 2026, medical associations will take on new responsibilities. They will participate in developing and reviewing care standards, assessing hospital service quality (at the request of the Ministry and the State Medical Insurance Fund), certifying and retraining healthcare workers, conducting independent audits, and drafting reform proposals.
From 2027, new appointment rules will apply to the heads of national and provincial inpatient facilities under the Ministry's jurisdiction. They will be hired on fixed-term contracts of up to five years. Within six months of their appointment, leaders must develop and defend a strategic development plan before the Ministry; within a year, they must complete specialized training in medical management and financial administration.
Furthermore, hospital directors will be prohibited from maintaining a clinical practice, though the Minister may grant exceptions for specific research or academic purposes. Performance will be measured against Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), focusing on service quality, financial discipline, management efficiency, digitalization, and HR policy. Failure to meet these benchmarks may lead to the early termination of their contracts.
Starting January 1, 2027, the Ministry of Health will gain the authority to independently set staffing standards for all medical facilities funded through the State Medical Insurance Fund, provided they stay within budget. Crucially, any year-end budget surpluses at these institutions will no longer be reclaimed by the state; instead, they will be rolled over into the business plans for the following fiscal year.
A significant portion of the decree focuses on the digitalization of healthcare. The Chamber of Accounts has been tasked with conducting a comprehensive three-month audit of all digital processes in the system. This review will evaluate completed works, funded projects, and their actual outcomes—including information systems developed by the IT company UZINFOCOM. Following this audit, successful projects will proceed, while those deemed ineffective will be overhauled or scrapped.
By the end of 2026, the Ministry of Digital Technologies and the Ministry of Health must establish a unified digital architecture, covering integration standards, data exchange protocols, and cybersecurity requirements for all healthcare solutions. A roadmap for the phased rollout and integration of these systems across state medical institutions is also mandated.
The Management Efficiency Agency, alongside the Health Ministry, has three months to finalize a qualification assessment framework for employees within the Ministry’s central apparatus, provincial departments, and the Ministry of Health of Karakalpakstan. All staff must be evaluated by the end of 2026, with results determining whether employees retain their positions, are rotated, undergo retraining, or face contract termination.
In a major leadership shake-up on May 5, Eldor Adilov was appointed as Uzbekistan’s new Minister of Health. Adilov previously served as a sector head within the presidential Administration. He succeeds Asilbek Khudayarov, who has moved to a different role. Along with the new Minister, nearly all deputy positions have been reshuffled, including the appointment of Ilkhomjon Umurzakov—formerly a Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance—as a new Deputy Health Minister.
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