Health systems in transition : Uzbekistan

6.1.5 Reforms of medical training
Academic training for physicians used to be a two-step process (see Chapter 4). 
The first step involved obtaining a “
tibbiyot fanlari nomzodi
” degree, which 
was considered to be a prerequisite for the second step, where physicians 
carried out a larger-scale study to defend a “
tibbiyot fanlari doktori
” degree. 
Research funding was not project-based, but rather allocated to staff posts in 
research institutions. 
Earlier reforms focused on research funding. The government has now 
moved towards competitive project-based research funding, where funding 
is earmarked for a specific project and time period (President of Uzbekistan, 
2002, 2006). 
More recent reform initiatives focused on academic training. 
Presidential 
Decree No. 4456
 established a new framework for higher education, abolishing 
the previous two-step academic training scheme and replacing it with a 
one-step framework similar to most western European countries. Under this 
new framework, physicians intending to obtain a research degree are expected 
to carry out research and defend a “
tibbiyot fanlari doktori
” degree, equivalent 
to a doctor of philosophy (PhD) degree (Cabinet of Ministers, 2012b; President 
of Uzbekistan, 2012b). 

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