On February 28, Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed a presentation on the effective organization of public-private partnership projects in the social sphere, as reported by the president's press service.
During the meeting, it was noted that public-private partnerships have yielded "good results" in the social sector. In particular, with the opening of private kindergartens providing 1.2 million places, preschool education coverage has reached 77%. In the higher education sector, 29,000 students have been provided with accommodation in dormitories, covering 57% of the available places. In healthcare, the private sector plays a significant role in dentistry, otorhinolaryngology, laboratories, and other services.
Despite the achieved results, there remains high demand and significant potential for development in the social field. The presentation addressed proposals for expanding public-private partnerships in healthcare, education, culture, and sports.
In healthcare, measures have been identified for the implementation of five projects worth $1.2 billion, in preschool and school education—six projects totaling $745 million, and in higher education—projects worth $100 million in collaboration with the ADB, IFC, EBRD, and other partners.
Specifically, the construction of multifunctional clinics in Tashkent, Fergana, Bukhara, Andijan, and Samarkand is planned. It is also intended to transfer the services of regional central polyclinics that are not related to medical activities to the private sector.
Additionally, the involvement of the private sector in specific activities within the culture and sports sectors was discussed. Currently, 43 cultural centers have already been transferred to private management, with the potential to transfer another 127 facilities.
In this regard, the need to similarly modernize unused swimming pools, sports halls, and venues while expanding wellness services was emphasized.
To this end, a proposal was made to simplify the process of transferring cultural and sports facilities to private partners.
The head of state instructed the ministries of the social sphere and local administrations to approve and implement roadmaps for the respective facilities, as well as to expedite public-private partnership projects.
Earlier, Spot reported that 11 government services would be outsourced to the private sector.