Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Pharmaceutical company STADA has released its 11th annual STADA Health Report 2024, a public opinion survey in healthcare. 46,000 participants aged 18 to 99 from 23 countries responded to an online questionnaire covering seven categories: healthcare system; medicine; artificial intelligence; aging; mental health; self-care; appearance.

Uzbekistan participated in the study for the second consecutive year. Data for Uzbekistan was collected via telephone survey conducted by the research company Ijtimoiy Fikr. Kazakhstan has participated in the STADA study for three consecutive years, with survey results showing Kazakhstani residents being more critical of their healthcare system compared to Uzbekistan.

"The survey results help us better meet the expectations of patients and healthcare professionals, following our mission to care for people’s health. We have been conducting the STADA Health Report since 2014, and over time, the study has become truly international, allowing us to compare results across different countries and regions. I am pleased that we have been able to include two countries from the Eurasia region in the report.

"We always make the survey results widely available so that healthcare system specialists have public opinion data on key aspects of healthcare operations and information on how residents perceive issues related to their own health," said Arminas Matsevichus, Vice President of STADA for the Eurasia region. In Uzbekistan, 68% of respondents noted satisfaction with the healthcare system’s performance, primarily due to the availability of medications, professionalism of doctors and pharmacists, and positive prior experiences with medical institutions.

In neighboring Kazakhstan, however, 67% of residents expressed dissatisfaction with their healthcare system, marking a 10% decrease in satisfaction over the past year. In Uzbekistan, despite the positive trend, 28% of respondents encountered low service levels in medical institutions, 22% faced challenges accessing preventive screenings, and 19% struggled with scheduling appointments with doctors.

Respondents also expressed a desire for more treatment options and medicines, as well as home medical treatment opportunities.

According to the survey, 48% of global respondents believe that healthcare policy makers should have experience in the field, a viewpoint shared by only 14% in Uzbekistan. 60% of respondents believe in creating conditions for professional orientation and training of doctors, 21% advocate for increasing healthcare workers’ salaries to attract more talent (47% in Europe share this view), and 18% think there should be more domestic production of medicines rather than relying on imports.

Like respondents from other countries, residents of Uzbekistan trust traditional medicine, especially those aged 18 to 24. The main reason for this trust is positive past experiences with traditional treatments, while respondents believe that commercialization of the medical industry reduces trust. According to 30% of participants, improving communication between doctors and patients during consultations would enhance trust in traditional medicine, while 29% believe that approaches focusing on improving not only physical but also mental health are necessary.

"Satisfaction with the state of healthcare systems in almost all countries participating in the survey continues to decline. Reasons cited include reduced access to medical appointments, low standards of medical services, staff shortages, and overall distrust towards those making political decisions regarding health. Against this backdrop, Uzbekistan’s indicators show the opposite - the country demonstrates record-high satisfaction with its healthcare system."

"Uzbekistan has been actively integrating into the global community in recent years, and this appears to positively influence the mood of its residents. At STADA, we are pleased to be part of this process and to fulfill our mission of caring for people’s health," noted Bakhtiyar Khadjimukhamedov, General Manager of STADA in Uzbekistan, and Head of the Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan cluster.

Respondents from Uzbekistan acknowledge that technologies and artificial intelligence will increasingly impact healthcare development in the near future, and overall believe this influence will be positive. 28% believe in the development of new vaccines for common diseases, 17% anticipate AI use in disease diagnostics, 16% foresee robots becoming integral in medical procedures, including surgery, and 15% believe most or all types of cancer will become non-lethal. Overall, Uzbek respondents are positive about the prospects of integrating AI and digital platforms into healthcare, but a significant portion (35%) express concerns about data leaks. Another 29% worry that AI implementation may negatively affect the job market and lead to job losses and interpersonal disconnect.

For gathering additional information, Uzbek respondents equally use Google (32%) and social media, including influencer blogs (also 32%). 25% seek official health-related information from medical institution websites. In Uzbekistan, more respondents than in other countries do not use internet sources for health issues information at all (26%). By comparison, this figure was 14% globally and only 9% in Kazakhstan. 44% of respondents from Uzbekistan are willing to consult doctors and pharmacists online, 30% would use electronic patient cards, and 17% prefer electronic prescriptions.

A significant portion of the study focuses on various aspects of mental health, including the poignant question of whether respondents feel happy. In Uzbekistan, 87% consider themselves happy, which is 20% higher than in other countries surveyed.

However, 26% experience loneliness, often due to the loss of loved ones (26%), 16% attribute loneliness to remote work arrangements, and 15% to an imbalance between work and personal life.

The report authors noted that in 2023, the WHO declared loneliness a global public health issue, citing its long-term effects such as depression, anxiety, stroke risk, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. In Uzbekistan, representatives of all age and gender groups cite the loss of loved ones as the primary cause of loneliness, except for young people aged 18-24, who feel lonely due to spending excessive time at work (25%) or on social media and computer games (22%). 29% of those experiencing loneliness believe that more available entertainment events would help alleviate it, 26% advocate for improving the work-life balance, 19% see reducing social media usage as a remedy, and 18% emphasize the need for more specific support for the elderly.

The issue of aging has also come into focus this year, with results showing that only 39% of respondents in Uzbekistan express concern about the aging process and related issues - for comparison, this figure averaged 46% in Europe. 79% of those unconcerned about aging philosophically accept it as a natural part of life. In Uzbekistan, respondents appear relatively accepting of the physical aspects of aging - 37% are concerned about it, compared to 74% in Kazakhstan. Main reasons for not accepting aging include fear of becoming a burden to others (24%), changes in appearance (16%), and fears of diseases like Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and dementia (7%).

Uzbekistan demonstrates strong indicators not only in terms of satisfaction with its healthcare system but also in how its residents perceive their physical appearance, with 78% expressing satisfaction (compared to 49% globally). For those dissatisfied with their appearance, the main reasons cited are weight-related issues, either excess weight (37%) or insufficient weight (14%). Additionally, 6% of respondents feel dissatisfaction comparing themselves to others on social media.

Uzbek respondents also rate their physical health higher than those from other countries, with 71% considering their physical health good (compared to 40% in Kazakhstan). They attribute this to engaging in sports (38%), maintaining an active social life (35%), and adhering to healthy eating habits (28%) for maintaining their health.

These actions contribute not only to feeling physically well but also mentally well. Uzbek respondents also prioritize regular preventive check-ups, mainly based on doctor recommendations and to a lesser extent to feel better physically.

In their conclusions, the authors of the STADA Health Report 2024 note that Uzbekistan is following the global trend of increasing trust in traditional medicine, driven by the presence of experienced doctors and pharmacists, as well as the proven practical effectiveness of traditional medicine.

Looking ahead to the future of healthcare, respondents emphasize the need in Uzbekistan to create conditions for professional orientation and training for doctors, increase salaries for healthcare workers, boost local pharmaceutical production, and ensure that policymakers in healthcare have appropriate knowledge or experience in the field.