Target lists of medical facilities under technological upgrade have been approved for the next four years

Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan approved the further set of measures on strengthening the logistical base and improvement of operation of medical institutions for 2012-2015. Procurement of high-tech equipment, introduction of family medicine and reorganization of health care facilities will be continued across the country.

The resolution approves development programs for cancer and emergency medical services. Both programs represent a wide range of actions aimed at improving the regulatory framework, equipping medical facilities with new equipment, and enhanced monitoring over the compliance of quality of care with state standards. Prevention of complications of injuries and illnesses is on particular focus.

The third program under the resolution is aimed at equipping and retrofitting national specialized medical centers with high-tech medical equipment. Thus, within 2012-2015, urology, eye microsurgery, surgery, therapy and medical rehabilitation, dermatology and venereology, and endocrinology centers will be supplied with new equipment.

The list of high-tech equipment to be purchased under the program on reducing the tuberculosis incidence in Uzbekistan was approved as well. It comprises 13 items of equipment for retooling tuberculosis institutions, including laboratory equipment, X-ray devices, microprocessor-based spirographs, fluorographs, lung ventilation devices, ultrasound scanners.

There is also the list of cities where the general polyclinics will be reorganized into family polyclinics. This year such activities will cover Tashkent, Farg’ona, Qo’qon, and Kuvasay, the next year – Samarqand, and in 2014 it is projected to transform institutions of urban primary care in Andijon, Bukhoro, Jizzakh, Qarshi, Navoi, Namangan, Shakhrisabz. Finally, in 2015, such work will be carried out in Olmalyk, Angren, Bekobod, Nukus, Termiz, Urganch and Chirchiq.

The document also provides targeted lists of 142 liquidated medical facilities due to their optimization and transfer their functions to big medical centers. They are the establishments of regional importance.

There is also a schedule of phased optimization of the hospital bedspace funded from the budget. The reduction covers about 13,000 beds of district, regional and national health establishments, which are released mainly due to the introduction of advanced methods of medical care that do not require a prolonged hospitalization, as well as optimization of the structure and location of medical facilities. (Source: “Uzbekistan Today” newspaper)