Overview

Uzbekistan’s health system provides a publicly financed package of services, but, for most of the population, many health services (including a large number of primary, secondary and tertiary services) fall outside the scope of this package. Between 2017 and 2019 government spending on health increased quite significantly, but so did out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditure. OOP expenditure now accounts for over half of health spending, with consequences for financial protection and access to services.

Life expectancy had improved prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and was the second highest among Central Asian countries. Noncommunicable diseases are the main cause of mortality and morbidity in Uzbekistan, with female mortality rates from noncommunicable diseases the highest in the WHO European Region. During the COVID-19 pandemic Uzbekistan has focused on improving surveillance capabilities and expanding hospital capacity and rates of excess mortality are estimated to have been much lower than in the WHO European Region overall.