Uzbekistan is introducing a system of monthly salary supplements for certain categories of medical workers. This is stipulated by a presidential decree dated September 10 on improving the system of training personnel in the medical and pharmaceutical sectors. The decree aims to radically reform the medical education system and is intended to improve the quality of medical services in the long term.
According to the decree, starting January 1, 2027, nurses and medical assistants who have completed a bachelor's degree will receive a monthly supplement equal to 1 times the minimum wage, while those with a master's degree will receive 2 times the minimum wage. Family doctors who have completed residency in family medicine and teaching staff who have completed a master's degree in this field will receive a supplement of 4 times the minimum wage. This measure is aimed at strengthening material incentives for medical workers and retaining qualified specialists in the field.
From the 2027/2028 academic year, admission to two-year programs for training secondary medical workers will be abolished. Additionally, on the basis of nursing, the directions "medical accompaniment" and, on the basis of a bachelor's degree in higher nursing, "higher medical accompaniment" will be introduced. Women who complete these directions will be awarded the qualification of nurse, and men — that of medical assistant. The parameters of the state order for higher medical accompaniment will be increased annually by at least 20% until the 2030/2031 academic year.
Furthermore, from the 2026/2027 academic year, the minimum passing score for medical specialties is set at 70% of the maximum score, and for secondary medical worker specialties — at 60%. From the 2027/2028 academic year, the minimum threshold for admission to bachelor's programs in medicine and pharmacy will be 60% of the maximum score. These requirements are being introduced to improve the quality of education and limit the access of applicants with insufficient knowledge.
The decree also abolishes additional specialization through short-term retraining courses in narrow specialties and admission to primary targeted specialization courses (internship). These changes are aimed at bringing the medical education system closer to international standards and ensuring the quality of specialist training. However, some experts express concern about the short-term effects of these reforms, as the abolition of internship could affect the training of practicing doctors.
Source: www.gazeta.uz