Health systems in transition : Uzbekistan

3. Financing
U
zbekistan spends a comparatively low share of its GDP on health, 
amounting to 5.9% in 2012. While the share of public sector expenditure 
has increased in recent years, private expenditure remains substantial. 
In 2012, public sources (mostly raised through taxes) accounted for 53.1% of 
total health expenditure, while 46.9% came from private sources, mostly in the 
form of out-of-pocket expenditure. Voluntary health insurance (VHI) does not 
play a major role. The share of government expenditure devoted to inpatient 
care is decreasing and stood at 58% in 2010. Other sources of funds include 
technical assistance programmes by multilateral or bilateral organizations and 
development agencies.
The 1996 
Law on health protection
 defined a basic benefits package to be 
funded by the state, which includes primary care, emergency care, care for 
“socially significant and hazardous” conditions, and specialized care for groups 
of the population classified by the government as vulnerable. Pharmaceuticals 
for inpatient care that forms part of the basic benefits package are covered, 
but outpatient pharmaceuticals are not, except for 13 population categories, 
including veterans of the Second World War, HIV/AIDS patients, patients with 
diabetes or cancer, and single pensioners registered by support agencies.
The government pools and allocates public funding for health care. The 
national government is responsible for the financing of specialized medical 
centres, research institutes, emergency care centres and national-level 
(republican-level) hospitals. Local (
viloyat
, 
tuman
 or city) governments are 
responsible for the financing of other hospitals, primary care units, sanitary-
epidemiological units and ambulance services.
Primary care in rural areas is now paid for on a capitation basis and primary 
care in urban areas is expected to follow by 2015. Specialized outpatient and 
inpatient care is paid on the basis of past expenditures and inputs.