Serious legislative violations regarding the pricing and implementation of paid medical services have been uncovered across several healthcare facilities in the Republic of Karakalpakstan, as well as the Samarkand and Syrdarya regions. According to reports from the Competition Development and Consumer Rights Protection Committee, ongoing investigations revealed that over 1 billion sums were unjustifiably or excessively collected from consumers.

Specifically, an analysis of paid service pricing across seven medical institutions in Karakalpakstan for the 2023–2026 period showed that corporate income tax was improperly included in the cost of services despite existing tax exemptions. Furthermore, certain service prices exceeded approved tariffs, resulting in an unjustified income of 331.7 million sums. Legal proceedings were initiated against six of the medical institutions, with mandatory instructions issued to return the funds to the public.

Parallel investigations in the Samarkand region targeted the regional branch of the Republican Specialized Scientific and Practical Medical Center of Oncology and Radiology. The inspection uncovered breaches of consumer protection legislation, resulting in 302.2 million sums being overcharged to patients, for which the branch was issued a formal corrective directive.

In the Syrdarya region, violations were similarly identified in two healthcare facilities, where the indirect cost distribution coefficient during pricing was artificially inflated above regulatory limits. Consequently, cases were initiated against both branches, and authorities mandated the full reimbursement of the excessively collected funds to the affected consumers.

Source: www.gazeta.uz