The Additional Financing supports the scaling up of some of the activities that already constitute the original project, which aims at modernizing the health care delivery system. It will provide more accessible quality and sustainable health services to the population. The original project currently covers 17,6 million people in six out of thirteen regions of Uzbekistan as well as Tashkent City. The Additional Financing will cover additional 12,39 million people in the remaining seven regions of Uzbekistan, as well as selected City Medical Unions.

“The project will assist Uzbekistan in scaling up major public health action through deepening ongoing health sector reforms,” said Takuya Kamata, World Bank Country Manager for Uzbekistan. “The project is consistent with the current Country Partnership Strategy for fiscal years 2012-2015. It will address in a more systemic way the provision of quality hospital services to the country’s population, and contribute to reforming the way those services are organized and are paid for.”

The Additional Financing will scale-up the following components of the original project:

• Improving Health Service Delivery focusing on hospital services improvement, primary health care development, and clinical quality enhancement;

• Strengthening Health Financing and Management Reforms, focusing on per capita based Primary Health Care financing, hospital payment system reforms at the district level, and the Health Financing Information System;

• Institutional Strengthening for Prevention & Control of Non Communicable Diseases. Uzbekistan joined the World Bank in 1992. The World Bank’s mission in the country is to improve people’s livelihoods through being a partner in economic reforms, supporting the modernization of the country’s social sectors and infrastructure, and sharing its knowledge and experience with the government and the people of Uzbekistan.

Total current World Bank commitments to Uzbekistan exceed US$1 billion.