During the meeting with the healthcare professionals on January 5 this year, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev had instructed to adopt measures on further improving healthcare services, eliminating existing problems and shortages. It was underlined that the sphere concerning the health of the population, future of our people, in particular, of a younger generation will be at the centre of attention of the President of the country. 

During his visits to the regions, the Head of State calls on rural medical centers and clinics, talks to doctors and patients. This demonstrates a constant attention of the President of our country to this sphere- the health of the nation. 

A videoconference meeting was held on 7 February under the chairmanship of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, dedicated to implementing the tasks, envisaged at the 5 January meeting, solving the problems in the sphere of healthcare and prospects of its development. 

Heads of relevant ministries and agencies, rectors of higher medical educational institutions, directors of specialized medical centers, chairman of the Jokargy Kenes of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, khokims of regions and Tashkent city, districts and towns, heads of medical institutions attended the meeting. 

The Head of our state, deeply analyzing the problems in the healthcare sphere, spoke in detail about the need to effectively work on their elimination, personal responsibility of managers. 

As underlined by the President, despite adopted measures, the works on changing the state of affairs in healthcare are inadequate. This is corroborated by the sheer quantity of applications and complaints by the public to the People's reception and the Virtual reception of the President. 

The activity of primary medical institutions, in particular of the rural medical centers, family polyclinics, patronage and ambulance services are not on a satisfactory level. It was underlined that the instructions on provision of hospitals and the public with medicines and medical goods, including on establishing social pharmacies, are executed inadequately. 

Staffing of medical units with qualified personnel, improving the activity of the republican specialized medical centers are done inefficiently. Insufficient attention is paid to development of the private sector in the healthcare system. 

Medical services are one of the important factors to ensure the interests of the person. Healthcare professionals should visit homes, take measures to prevent disease, and people should feel their care. For this we need to raise the culture, ethics, the responsibility of healthcare professionals to change their attitude to work and patients, the President said. 

The need to review the deployment of rural medical centers (RMC), optimizing inefficient RMC, re-allocating saved funds to material and technical strengthening of the heavily visited RMC, if necessary, converting some of them into a clinic, stimulation of work of qualified doctors was underlined. A particular attention was paid to create conditions for round the clock operation of rural medical centers. 

Over the years, considerable works on improving the public healthcare provision system have been accomplished. Rural medical centers have been built and equipped with modern facilities. However, people come here not for the sake of a modern building, but for a specialist. Therefore, the best specialists should work at rural medical centers and clinics. Qualified doctors of the specialized medical centers, national and regional clinics are to hold scheduled receptions in rural medical centers and family polyclinics, Shavkat Mirziyoyev stressed. In this case, people will be satisfied with the medical services. 

The need to further improve the activity of the Ministry of Health and its regional offices, to strengthen cooperation of specialized centers with medical associations in the districts, and of these associations with the rural medical centers and clinics was underlined at the meeting. It is mandatory to identify the types of health services provided free of charge, and those provided for a fee. This information should be available to everyone. 

The decree of the Head of our state "On measures to further improve the provision of population with medicines and medical devices" from October 31, 2016 significantly reduced their prices. The sales of medicines at fixed prices are constantly monitored by representatives of the department of the General Prosecutor's office of the Republic of Uzbekistan, relevant ministries and khokimiyats. 

The President of our country entrusted to open a telephone hotline at the department of the General Prosecutor's office in order to prevent illegal overpriced sales of medicines. These phone numbers will be on display at every pharmacy and will be announced on television. 

Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan, Minister of Health A.Ikramov, First Deputy Minister of Health A.Hojiboev, Deputy Minister of Health E.Basithanova, head of the Department of the General Prosecutor's office of the Republic of Uzbekistan Z.Dusanov, chairman of Jokargy Kenes of Karakalpakstan M .Erniyazov, khokims of Tashkent city, Andijan, Surkhondaryo, Samarkand, Khorezm, Tashkent, Fergana, Bukhara, Jizzakh regions, and Bekabad, Oltiariq, Vobkent districts reported about the progress in this area during the meeting. 

President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev gave instructions to officials to further improve the efficiency of medical services, quality implementation of priority targets in this area. The meeting, held in a spirit of critical analysis, demonstrated that the works on further improvement of a medical sphere, improving the quality and level of medical services in accordance with modern requirements, are conducted in a systematic manner and under strict control.

UzA