Uzbekistan has embarked on a comprehensive health financing reform to ensure equal access to health care, financial protection and equitable distribution of resources. WHO is providing technical assistance to support the development of the strategy under the leadership of the Ministry of Health and in close collaboration with the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Finance.
The latest activity in support of the reform was a policy dialogue which brought together over 100 participants including high-level decision-makers from the government, nongovernmental organizations and international partners, held on 25–26 April 2019, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. At the event, co-hosted by the Ministry of Health and WHO, the ministry presented its initial work on the strategic directions of the health financing strategy as well as the next steps to finalize the strategy.
This policy dialogue was a significant step as it provided a unique opportunity to ensure that Uzbekistan makes evidence-informed choices by learning from international experiences. Health specialists from WHO and the World Bank, and other international experts shared international good practices on health financing reform and effective policy instruments to inspire action and help Uzbekistan overcome its current challenges in health financing, such as high out-of-pocket payments, access barriers, and quality and efficiency problems.
Participants welcomed the strategic directions, which are in line with best international practices and WHO recommendations, and will put Uzbekistan on the path to universal health coverage. Some of the key aims are to:
- establish a single national pooling and purchasing agency, the Mandatory Health Insurance Fund, to pool all budgetary resources directed to health under one roof, regardless of the revenue source;
- introduce strategic purchasing mechanisms to boost quality improvements in service delivery and maximize equity and efficiency considerations in resource allocation;
- design a state-guaranteed benefit package with clear entitlements for recipients and obligations on health services to improve financial protection and ensure utilization of health services relative to need.
In addition, the event focused on 4 key technical areas: governance and strategic planning, strategic purchasing, public–private partnerships and benefit package design.