This year, for the first time ever, public healthcare expenditures are included in a series of annual publications on the state budget. The new publication focuses on health spending, including measures to combat COVID-19, outpatient and inpatient care costs, spending on government programmes to improve the reproductive health of the population and other items of the budget expenditures. In total, state funding for healthcare in 2021 will amount to 21,047.8 billion soums, or 3.1 percent of GDP.

“Citizens’ Budget” – an annual publication produced by the joint project of UNDP and the Ministry of Finance “Financing for Sustainable Development in Uzbekistan” – provides the public and civil society with information on the State Budget of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Throughout the year, citizens have access to three publications: adopted annual state budget, executed state budget for the previous year, and the draft state budget for the next year.

This year, the series of publications on the state budget is complemented by public healthcare expenditures. The new publication is devoted to healthcare expenditures, which are approved and implemented in accordance with the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated December 25, 2020 “On the state budget of the Republic of Uzbekistan for 2021”.

As in the previous year, in 2021, the world exists in the context of the coronavirus pandemic, which significantly increases the burden on the healthcare system. In 2021, the State budget envisaged the allocation of 3 trillion soums to combat COVID-19. The complication of the epidemiological situation and the increase in the number of coronavirus cases have led to a revision of the expenditures for these purposes. By the end of this year, 4.3 trillion soums will be allocated, including 1.4 trillion soums for the purchase of vaccines and vaccination of the population. The increase in spending on the fight against coronavirus infection did not affect the amount of funds allocated in 2021 for other health spending. State funding for healthcare will be 21,047.8 billion soums or 3.1 percent of GDP.

In this publication citizens can find detailed information on healthcare spending for 2019-2021, the structure of expenditures by budget levels (republican and local), expenditures on outpatient and inpatient care, as well as in the context of capital and current expenditures, including salary costs and capacity building.

A separate section reveals expenditures on government programmes to improve the reproductive health of the population, protect mothers and children, and reduce social and difficult-to-treat diseases. For these purposes, in 2021, the Ministry of Health allocated 1,009.0 billion soums.

To find out more, please go to the official website of the Ministry of Finance (www.mf.uz), “Open Budget” portal (www.openbudget.uz), or UNDP website (uz.undp.org)