The publication notes that on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), KfW signed a funding agreement with the Ministry of Health of Uzbekistan for a preferential loan of €45 million and a grant of €5.5 million.

“The goal is to support digital reforms to improve the quality and efficiency of medical services for the population of Uzbekistan. These reforms include measures to introduce a national health platform for digital data processing to improve data sharing and streamline the digital health management infrastructure and its administrative processes,” the article says.

Reportedly, this includes measures such as IT training for medical staff and electronic patient records, which speed up diagnosis and treatment. The digitization of the entire database also allows for improved maintenance and service of medical devices.

“Healthcare in Uzbekistan has shortcomings, which were especially evident during the corona crisis. By creating an effective IT infrastructure, healthcare can be significantly improved. This is especially important for low-income segments of the population,” KfW Bankengruppe board member Christiana Laibach reported.

In conclusion, it is emphasized that digitalization allows better control over the cost of services provided and contributes to sustainable financing of the healthcare sector in the long term. “The funded reform program contributes to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, in particular the Sustainable Development Goal “Health and well-being” (SDG 3),” the publication concludes.