President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed a decree "On measures to further develop the private healthcare sector," the Akhborot news program on Uzbekistan channel reported.

The document is aimed at "strengthening comprehensive assistance to the development of the private healthcare sector, creating conditions for private entities to provide high-quality medical services, increasing the share of foreign investments in the healthcare sector and attract highly qualified foreign specialists, as well as at developing medical tourism and boosting exports of medical services."

The following has been defined as main directions and tasks for the development private health sector:

• creation of favorable conditions for boosting the activities and expanding the network of private medical organizations in all provinces of Uzbekistan, improvement of regulation and licensing of their activities;
• systemic solutions to issues that hamper the sustainable development of the private health sector;
• stimulating an increase in the volumes and types of services by private medical organizations using high-tech methods of diagnosis and treatment to population, including socially vulnerable categories of citizens;
• strengthening the material and technical base of private medical organizations, equipping them with modern tools, providing buildings and facilities according to specialization and meeting the requirements of sanitary norms and regulations;
• sharp increase in the scale and volume of financial support to private medical organizations with active introduction of flexible lending and leasing mechanisms;
• drawing more foreign investments to the private healthcare with the establishment of joint medical and diagnostic centers with leading foreign clinics and medical centers;
• accelerated development of paid services that facilitate - along with the provision of free medical care to the population guaranteed by the state - quality and affordable consultative, diagnostic, therapeutic, health and other types of medical services with active introduction of the health insurance system;
• creation of a quality and effective system of training, retraining and advanced training of personnel in the field of private healthcare on the basis of the use of modern methods and technologies of medical education using best international practices, providing private medical organizations with highly qualified specialists.

The resolution provides for a sharp increase of the types of medical services permitted for private medical organizations, including such demanded spheres of medicine as cardiosurgery, neurosurgery, microsurgery, oncology, endocrinology, cardiology, vascular, thoracic and abdominal surgery, urology and others, covering all types of medical activities, except those associated with a high level of risk to the life, health and sanitary and epidemiological welfare of the population.

It was determined that newly introduced high-tech methods of treatment and diagnostics in private medical organizations, especially involving surgical interventions, are allowed only in case of existence of appropriate medical equipment, highly qualified personnel and strict observance of sanitary norms and rules.