Former Soviet Uzbekistan restricts doctors, medical officials ability to leave the country

Uzbekistan limits foreign travel for doctors

ALMATY, Kazakhstan — An Uzbek think tank says authorities in the Central Asian nation of Uzbekistan have restricted doctors’ freedom to travel abroad.

The Expert Working Group said Friday that officials have established strict requirements for medical personnel wishing to leave the country, even if it is for personal reasons.

The non-government group says physicians will have to submit a report on their activities while overseas within three days of their return. It says failure to do so will risk incurring strict punitive measures and a travel ban.

Restrictions on Uzbek doctors’ exposure to foreign expertise is likely to further hinder the authoritarian former Soviet republic’s troubled health care system. Public awareness of health issues is poor in Uzbekistan, in part because of the government’s tight grip on information.