Uzbekistan plans to overhaul cancer care from 2027, with reforms aimed at detecting tumors earlier and expanding palliative support for patients outside the country’s main medical centers.
The National Cancer Control Program, developed with the participation of the World Health Organization and international experts, aims to bring oncology services closer to international standards while improving access to care in the regions.
The proposals point to one of the central weaknesses in cancer care across much of the region: patients are often diagnosed late and forced to travel to major cities for specialist treatment.
Two key metrics for the plan are firstly to increase targeted screening coverage for common cancers is to 60%, while the five-year survival rate among cancer patients is expected to increase from the current 35% to at least 45%.
To achieve these goals, primary healthcare workers will receive additional training to identify early signs of cancer and ensure timely referrals to specialized medical institutions. That would put family doctors and local clinics at the center of the reform, rather than leaving patients to navigate the system only after symptoms have become harder to treat.
The focus on primary care also fits a wider shift in Uzbekistan’s health policy. There is already a major effort to move more treatment and prevention work out of hospitals and into local clinics, with early intervention presented as a way to reduce pressure on specialist facilities.
Officials also plan to establish rapid diagnostic pathways to shorten the time between initial examinations and confirmed diagnoses. Radiation therapy services will be also be modernized, with aging cobalt therapy equipment gradually replaced with modern linear accelerators.
The equipment upgrades follow other recent moves to expand Uzbekistan’s specialist cancer infrastructure. TCA reported earlier this year that a Nuclear Medicine Center under construction in Tashkent is expected to be equipped with PET/CT scanners, a cyclotron, a radiopharmaceutical laboratory, and Gamma Knife and CyberKnife systems.
A significant part of the reform package concerns palliative and hospice care. Beginning September 1, 2026, Uzbekistan plans to establish a unified nationwide system by integrating medical and social services.
Mobile palliative care teams providing home-based medical and social services will be created, with every region of the country getting its own hospice institutions. A children’s palliative care center for patients with severe and incurable illnesses is also planned in the Samarkand region.
The palliative-care proposals address one of the more visible gaps in Uzbekistan’s cancer system. Uzbekistan’s first children’s oncology hospice opened in Tashkent in August 2022, while plans for an adult hospice in the capital had been delayed for years.
Authorities expect palliative and hospice care coverage to reach at least 80% by 2030. Patients requiring home care will receive specialized equipment, including functional beds and mattresses, through a voucher system. Family members will also be able to access a new “Family Support” service.
The proposals additionally include social support measures for employees of state healthcare institutions. These include partial compensation of university tuition fees for the children of medical workers with at least 15 years of service and assistance with mortgage down payments.
Mirziyoyev approved the proposals and instructed officials to ensure their effective implementation, expand access to oncology and hematology care in the regions, and introduce modern diagnostic and treatment technologies.
In 2025, health ministers from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan met in Tashkent during the “Dialogue for Children: Central Asia and UNICEF” conference to discuss joint research projects, medical knowledge exchange and cooperation in cancer treatment. Kazakhstan proposed establishing an international academic hub for childhood cancer and announced plans for a Proton Therapy Center in Astana capable of treating more than 800 patients annually, including children from across Central Asia.
