Uzbekistan explores AI to strengthen health financing

Uzbekistan is advancing health financing reforms while exploring the use of artificial intelligence to improve efficiency and financial protection, a senior government official said at the Forum on Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for Health Equity in Manila.

Mircea Buga, Chief Specialist at Uzbekistan’s State Health Insurance Fund, outlined the country’s reform journey, noting four key stages.

In 2018, Uzbekistan launched a comprehensive agenda prioritising health financing and primary healthcare in line with universal healthcare principles.

By 2020, the establishment of the State Health Insurance Fund introduced strategic purchasing, contracting, and early digital solutions. Reforms accelerated in 2024 with the adoption of a national AI strategy that identified healthcare as a priority sector.

Buga said Uzbekistan is now consolidating reforms, though challenges remain in cost measurement, payment rules, financial protection, and digital governance. While the universal health coverage service index has risen from 55 to 75, households still face substantial out-of-pocket expenses, particularly for medicines.

Programs such as the 2022 Medicines Reimbursement Program illustrate practical steps to reduce this burden, with AI offering potential to track expenditure, detect unusual prescribing patterns, forecast budgets, and improve targeting.

The government aims to raise public health expenditure to 5% of GDP by 2030, providing a stronger foundation for universal coverage. Existing digital systems within the State Health Insurance Fund offer a platform for AI integration, including modules for clinical records, hospital payments, and claims processing. AI is being introduced as an additional layer to enhance operations rather than replace them.

Buga stressed that AI implementation should be staged—starting with assessment, followed by pilot projects, and then full-scale adoption. Effective governance, human oversight, and transparency are essential to ensure AI improves fairness, intelligence, and safety in health financing.

“If applied carefully, AI can help expand coverage, protect households from financial hardship, and strengthen government tools for strategic purchasing and affordability,” he said.