An International Academic Hub for Pediatric Cancer will be launched in Uzbekistan. It will operate as a state institution under the Scientific-Practical Medical Center for Pediatric Oncology, Hematology, and Immunology. This provision is included in the corresponding presidential decree signed by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, which came into effect on May 21 following the publication of the document on the legal portal Lex.uz.
It is noted that the hub will involve staff from clinics affiliated with leading European universities.
The main tasks of this scientific and educational institution are:
👉 implementation of international training programs within the system of continuous medical education;
👉 training personnel for pediatric oncology, hematology, and immunology services, as well as organizing retraining and professional development courses for specialists;
👉 application of advanced clinical and applied research;
👉 development and strengthening of the scientific capacity of specialized medical institutions;
👉 conducting clinical trials of promising drugs and treatment methods jointly with foreign pharmaceutical companies and medical professionals;
👉 analysis and forecasting of epidemiological trends in pediatric cancer incidence.
In addition, until January 1, 2028, the import of laboratory equipment, computers, educational and scientific literature, and other material and technical resources used for the needs of the Academic Hub will be exempt from customs duties, excluding processing fees.
The presidential decree also outlines the priority tasks of the National Strategy for Combating Pediatric Cancer. These include improving systems for prevention, diagnosis, early detection, treatment, and patient care; enhancing the qualifications of healthcare workers; digitizing data management processes; developing care infrastructure; and more.
In this regard, a pilot project for implementing the strategy will be launched in 2025–2026 based on medical institutions in Samarkand and the Ishtikhan district, with plans to expand it to other regions.
The Ministry of Digital Technologies, together with the Ministry of Health, has been tasked with launching by July 1 of this year a digitized patient routing system that will include processes for registration, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. The agencies are also responsible for enabling remote doctor appointments and online consultations. By the end of this year, the integration of artificial intelligence technologies into these services must be ensured.
The decree defines the key goals for combating pediatric cancer from 2025 to 2030:
✅ increase the proportion of early-stage cancer detections to 65%;
✅ increase the one-year survival rate of children with cancer from 34% to 90%, and the five-year survival rate to at least 60%;
✅ provide 100% of patients with access to specialized medical care;
✅ reduce the time to diagnose oncohematological diseases to 4 days and oncological diseases to 14 days;
✅ ensure the start of treatment within 10 to 20 days;
✅ create conditions for identifying signs of pediatric cancer in primary healthcare institutions;
✅ enhance the human resource capacity, strengthen the material and technical base of medical institutions in the regions, and digitize business processes across all levels of pediatric cancer care.
