Businesses urge government to ease import registration for medical equipment

Businesses are calling on the Uzbek government to simplify the registration process for medical equipment imports. The appeal was made during an open dialogue on 15 July with representatives of the healthcare sector, organized by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

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Zafar Pulatov, head of Bio Nur Med Servis from Samarkand, noted that even if the imported medical equipment is certified in the US or Europe, it still must undergo state registration in Uzbekistan.

“When medical equipment is brought into Uzbekistan, it must go through state registration, which takes between six months and a year. The process is also extremely costly. Furthermore, mandatory equipment testing is required. But how can local specialists test advanced technology that has never been used in Uzbekistan? In addition to this, certification is also mandatory,” he said.

Pulatov suggested that Uzbekistan recognize international certificates of conformity for medical equipment to reduce red tape. In response, Davron Vakhabov, chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, proposed working with the Ministry of Health to develop a list of globally recognized medical equipment manufacturers.

He also highlighted the high cost of certifying medical supplies, which can drastically exceed their actual value.

“For instance, some consumables cost just $1–2, but we’re asked to pay around 6 million UZS for certification. That’s 100 to 200 times more than the product’s cost. What’s worse is that the fee is the same whether the item costs $1 million or 10,000 UZS. I told them this was unreasonable given the product’s value. They replied: bring in 100,000 units at once – then the cost will be lower. But why would I need so many when demand is only 100–200 units per year?” said the Bio Nur Med Servis head.

He added that certification also requires bringing a specialist from Tashkent to customs, incurring additional costs of 1.5–2 million UZS.

Another business representative echoed the call for simplifying the registration of pharmaceutical products by recognizing international certificates of compliance. According to him, well-known brands are disappearing from local pharmacies, being replaced by medicines from Pakistan, China, and India.

“This reduces profitability for distributors and pharmacies and encourages the growth of the black market,” he stressed.

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