Senator criticizes Health Ministry for shifting to paid services (video)

The Ministry of Health has turned into a ministry that provides paid services to the population rather than protecting public health. Senator Oral Ataniyazova made this statement on September 5 at the tenth plenary session of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis.

Ataniyazova, a senator from the Republic of Karakalpakstan and Deputy Chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Science, Education and Healthcare, listed problems in the healthcare system. She cited conditions in the Oncohematology Department of the Multidisciplinary Children’s Medical Center of the Republic of Karakalpakstan as an example.

“Even simple alcohol, syringes, ascorbic acid, sodium chloride, and ordinary cotton are purchased by the parents of patients at the pharmacy next to the hospital. Not a single medicine is provided for free,” the senator said.

She added that she had appealed to the relevant organizations about this situation but had received no action or response so far.

Senate Speaker Tanzila Norbayeva also stressed that maternal mortality, child mortality, and hospital care for mothers and children should not be turned into a business.

“It is not necessary to blame a woman for her name alone in the history of the disease. There are too many cases where ‘the woman herself did not come on time’ or ‘did not apply.’ Doctors are never to blame, and we always blame the woman herself or her family,” she said in criticism.

Deputy Minister of Health Elmira Basitkhanova, who attended the meeting, announced that maternal mortality in Uzbekistan had decreased by 30 percent compared to last year.