The Ministry of Health clarified what treatment patients should receive free of charge.

The Ministry of Health clarified the terms of free treatment for citizens.

Uzbekistan, Tashkent – Podrobno.uz News Agency.

The Ministry of Health of the Republic of Uzbekistan, in response to a Podrobno.uz correspondent's inquiry, clarified that patients hospitalized under a state referral are exempt from paying for services, medications, medical products, and consumables stipulated by the clinical protocol. These costs are covered by the state budget.

The ministry noted that the term "order" is no longer used in legislation. Instead, patients are issued an electronic referral with a QR code confirming their eligibility for a certain amount of state-funded medical care.

Within the scope specified in the referral, the medical facility is obligated to provide diagnostics, treatment, and rehabilitation free of charge. Patients should not be forced to independently purchase necessary medications, medical products, and consumables. There is also no fee for issuing extracts from medical records.

If a patient is diagnosed with another condition during the examination, their treatment may also be covered by the state, up to the base price established for the new diagnosis.

Paid medical care is possible in cases where a patient has visited a clinic without a referral, has independently chosen a higher-level facility without the established procedure, or is undergoing treatment in a private department. Fees may also be charged for additional procedures not included in the guaranteed package and not stipulated by the clinical protocol. An exception is emergency and urgent care, for which a referral is not required.

Demanding payment in other cases is considered a violation. The Ministry also emphasized that medical institutions are obligated to inform citizens about free services and the conditions for receiving them through information stands, information kiosks, official websites, and hotlines.

It was previously reported that, as of July 1, private clinics in Uzbekistan have been allowed to provide services financed from the state budget in all areas covered by their licenses.