Overview

Key points

• Tajikistan’s health system provides a publicly financed basic benefits package of services, but a significant number of people fall outside the scope of eligibility.
  
• Almost all health care in Tajikistan is public and managed by the government.
  
• Tajikistan’s health system provides a publicly financed basic benefits package, but a significant number of people are not covered. Pilot projects have explored health financing reforms to expand coverage, but have not been rolled out nationally.
  
• Health spending per capita (in absolute terms) is the second lowest in the WHO European Region, although public spending on health has increased over the past two decades.
  
• Out-of-pocket payments have declined slightly, but remain high, at 63.5% of spending (2021).
  
• Ratios of health workers to population are well below European averages, and there are major geographic imbalances in the distribution of health workers, with high rates of migration exacerbating gaps.
  
• Life expectancy has improved and is higher than the average of Central Asian Republics.
  
• Childhood vaccination coverage rates are high and infant and maternal mortality have seen steady improvements over the past two decades, although they remain relatively high.
  
• Rates for many communicable diseases have improved, but access to pharmaceuticals is an ongoing challenge to further improvement.
  
• Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are a major driver of mortality, with cardiovascular disease the most common cause of death.
• Leading risk factors for mortality and morbidity include high blood pressure, poor nutrition and high blood sugar.