In 2021, the Head of state visited the old building of the Republican Specialized Scientific and Practical Medical Center of Oncology and Radiology and instructed on improving conditions in the field. Soon, the Presidential Resolution “On further improving the system of providing hematological and oncological services to the population” was adopted.
Large-scale work is carried out to improve treatment effectiveness. In particular, the Center for Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Clinical Immunology has been allocated to a separate institution. An additional 22 radiation therapy machines have been delivered to oncology hospitals. The funds allocated for chemotherapy have been increased 11 times and reached $13 million. About 250 new examination and treatment methods have been brought to regional and district-level institutions.
The resolution also provided for constructing a new complex for the Republican Oncology Center. Its design was developed based on the experience of South Korean clinics in this area. Careful work was carried out over three years. A modern hospital was built on more than 5 hectares of area next to the Tashkent Medical Academy.
The new complex consists of 9 buildings, the main of which have 8 floors. They take into account the necessary conditions for doctors and patients. The first floor houses a polyclinic and diagnostic equipment. The second floor houses a laboratory, a hospital, intensive care, and surgical departments, and the upper floors house wards. The underground part houses a radiotherapy department, nuclear medicine, and utility rooms.
The previous hospital had 370 beds. The new center has 650 inpatient and 80 day beds. Also, 500 patients per day can be treated on an outpatient basis.
The Head of state got acquainted with the amenities and capabilities of the center.
“We pay special attention to education and medicine. After all, if people are educated and healthy, they will find their way. This center is one of such achievements. We allocated 1.2 trillion UZS for this project and built it from scratch. $80 million was allocated to equip all oncology hospitals. The main task now is to train employees and establish effective management”, Shavkat Mirziyoyev said.
The center has 17 clinical departments, 18 operating rooms, 42 resuscitation and intensive care units, and is based on European and American standards. It is equipped with the latest technology used in world medicine.
For example, the MAGNETOM Altea magnetic resonance imaging scanner from Siemens automates the workflow using artificial intelligence. Fuji’s Senaria computed tomography scanner provides accurate diagnostics with a low radiation dose and high image quality. Also, multispiral tomographs with 128 and 256 slices allow the detection of even the most minor tumors in skinny slices. They are 8-16 times more powerful than those used previously.
About a hundred specialists have improved their qualifications in 8 foreign countries to work with such modern equipment. Across the country, 1,200 oncologists will undergo training abroad.
The surgical department can perform 6,000 high-tech operations per year. In particular, bone marrow transplantation, which is highly relevant, will be established. With the help of new equipment, it is possible to perform operations to remove tumors in the eyes, pharynx, and esophagus without incisions. Bladder cancers will be removed using a minimally invasive method. As a result, patients can recover faster and be discharged home in 3-5 days.
Each bed in the intensive care unit is equipped with cardiac monitors, artificial lung ventilation devices, and other modern equipment.
For the first time, a nuclear medicine department for radiation therapy is being launched. It consists of nine bunkers, and even if one of them stops, the continuity of the procedure is ensured by transferring to others. New methods of radiation therapy on linear accelerators, such as VMAT and SMAT, will be introduced.
Outpatient chemotherapy is designed for 72 patients. The introduction of new infusion equipment has simplified and accelerated treatment.
The President gave instructions on digitalizing the center’s work and improving patient convenience.
“The most important task is digitalization. Let people not wander and stand in lines. This center should be connected not only with Tashkent, but also with 15 regional hospitals so that patients know in advance the time of their arrival and the doctor who will be seeing them. To do this, it is necessary to expand the use of artificial intelligence and reduce the human factor”, the Head of state said.
With its regional branches, the center will be connected to a single electronic platform, and the “cancer registry” system will be launched in the country. As a result, all data on cancer patients under observation will be available to staff.
Information about the unified medical system Dmed was also presented here. It will be fully launched in Tashkent by the end of this year and implemented throughout the country in the future.
The oncology center pays much attention to the harmony of science and practice. Scientific research will be conducted on positron emission and single-photon emission computed tomography, as well as research based on molecular genetic diagnostics of tumors, with further introduction of personalized targeted and immunotherapeutic treatment methods into clinical practice.
Thanks to the new equipment and conditions, the efficiency of early detection and treatment of oncological diseases in the center will increase several times. As a result, this will reduce mortality, increase cure rates, and prolong people’s lives. This will also become the basis for the development of medical tourism.
