Uzbekistan adopts major healthcare reform package and replaces entire Ministry of Health leadership

5 May 2026

On 5 May 2026, the President signed three acts establishing a new regulatory framework for Uzbekistan's healthcare sector and simultaneously replaced the entire leadership of the Ministry of Health. The package addresses private sector expansion, unified quality and licensing standards, and a digitalisation agenda, with implementation running through to 2030.

Leadership overhaul at the Ministry of Health

Minister Asilbek Khudayarov and all three deputy ministers were relieved of their positions. No details of subsequent appointments have been published.

Eldor Adilov has been appointed as the new Minister. His background is financial and administrative: he worked at the Ministry of Finance from 2012 to 2020, holds a master's degree in public finance from the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in Japan, and most recently served in the Legal Expertise and Comprehensive Analysis Department of the Presidential Administration while leading the Healthcare Projects Centre.

The new deputy ministers are:

• Otabek Imamov, First Deputy Minister
• Jaloliddin Asamutdinov, Deputy Minister for Compliance and Internal Anti-Corruption Control
• Adkham Khudaykulov, Deputy Minister
• Sherzod Mukhamedov, Deputy Minister
• Ilkhomjon Umurzakov, Deputy Minister, transferred from the Ministry of Economy and Finance where he oversaw public-private partnership development

Appointing a minister with no medical background signals a shift toward management efficiency and budgetary discipline. The dedicated compliance and anti-corruption deputy reinforces this direction. The inclusion of a deputy with public-private partnership experience aligns with the reform package's investment agenda.

Decree No. 74: Private sector expansion

The decree targets a 30% private sector share of medical services by 2030 and introduces measures to expand competition and attract investment.

From 1 July 2026, licensed private medical organisations may provide services across all areas within the state insurance system at unified base tariffs. Organisations with national or ISQua-recognised international accreditation gain simplified contracting with the insurance fund, without requiring a Ministry expert commission conclusion.

The Agency for Pharmaceutical Industry Development is renamed the Agency for Medical and Pharmaceutical Industry Development and from 1 September 2026 takes on an expanded mandate covering private sector support, public-private partnership facilitation, and a one-stop-shop function for investors. Two new instruments are launched alongside it:

• JSC Health Invest, with an authorised capital of 10 billion soum (approximately $833,000)
• A Fund for the Development of Medical Organisations, capitalised through $10 million from the Reconstruction and Development Fund, 20% of proceeds from asset sales, and grants and technical assistance

From 1 January 2027, roles are divided as follows: the Ministry sets strategic direction and acts as state partner in public-private partnerships; the Agency structures investment packages; Health Invest supports project implementation and manages transferred assets.

A $200 million concessional credit line through JSC Uznatsbank will finance high-technology clinics in districts and border areas, up to $10 million per project over 10 years with a three-year grace period at 3 percentage points above the Central Bank base rate. Beneficiary clinics must obtain accreditation within three years of launch.

Time-limited incentives include:

• Corporate income tax deduction for employer-paid voluntary health insurance (1 July 2026 to 1 July 2029)
• Import duty exemption on medical equipment, components, consumables, and category A specialised vehicles for own use (1 June 2026 to 1 June 2029)
• 1% social tax rate and fixed work permit fee for foreign medical specialists (until 1 May 2029)

Resolution No. 170: Unified quality and licensing standards

This resolution applies uniform licensing and quality oversight requirements to all medical organisations regardless of ownership. Key targets for 2030 include adapting more than 3,000 state facilities to licensing requirements, integrating information systems with the national digital health platform, and introducing at least 75 national accreditation standards.

From 1 July 2026, the Centre for Licensing and Accreditation under the Ministry of Health becomes the sole licensing body. A dedicated internal quality control unit becomes a mandatory licensing requirement for all organisations.

Phased mandatory licensing of state facilities:

• National level: by 1 April 2027
• Regional level: by end of 2028
• District level: by end of 2030

From 1 April 2028, insurance fund contracting is conditional on accreditation. Facilities without national or ISQua international accreditation will not be able to contract with the fund.

From 1 April 2027, integration of information systems with the Ministry's digital health platform becomes a licensing condition.

Decree No. 77: Governance reform

Three new entities are created under the Ministry: a Research Centre for Public Health Analysis, a Clinical Audit Inspectorate with regional branches, and a Content Media Centre. The existing Healthcare Projects Centre is dissolved and its functions transferred to the Ministry.

From 1 September 2026, medical associations gain the right to participate in developing standardisation documents, quality assessment frameworks, and draft regulatory instruments.

From 2027, heads of national and regional state facilities will be appointed on fixed five-year contracts, required to prepare an institutional development programme within six months and complete management training within one year. Performance is assessed against KPIs, with early termination possible for underperformance. From 1 January 2027, the State Medical Insurance Fund gains authority to independently set staffing standards for facilities it finances.

By end of 2026, the Ministry of Digital Technologies and the Ministry of Health must develop a unified data architecture, approve a digital integration roadmap, and introduce information-system-based quality monitoring.

What this means for your business

The simultaneous leadership change and legislative package represent a deliberate reset of how Uzbekistan's healthcare sector is governed and regulated. The new minister's financial and administrative profile, combined with a dedicated compliance deputy, points toward tighter oversight and greater budget discipline across the system.

For international companies, the most relevant near-term developments are the new accreditation-linked contracting rules, which will reshape who qualifies as a counterparty within the insurance system, and the mandatory digital integration requirements, which raise compliance expectations for all system participants. The exceptional procurement procedure for organisations under Health Invest management, allowing direct procurement of imported medicines and medical devices not produced in Uzbekistan, is also worth monitoring as the new structure becomes operational and its effect on procurement practices in the medical organisation segment becomes clearer.