1. General Provisions

• Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Republic of Tajikistan (hereinafter referred to as the Ministry) is the central executive body of the Republic of Tajikistan responsible for the development and implementation of a unified state policy and regulation of legal norms in health and social protection sector of the population.
• The Ministry is guided by the Constitution of the Republic of Tajikistan, the constitutional laws of the Republic of Tajikistan, laws of the Republic of Tajikistan, acts of the Majlisi Milli and Majlisi Namoyandagon of Majlisi Oli of the Republic of Tajikistan, of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, of the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan, international legal acts recognized by Tajikistan, and given Provisions in its operations.
• The Ministry, relevant subdivisions of local executive authorities and the ministries (departments) of the republic form a unified system of state administration, ensuring the implementation of a unified state health and social protection sector policy.
• The Ministry coordinates the activities of other ministries and departments of the republic, enterprises and organizations, regardless of the ownership form and departmental affiliation, as well as local executive authorities on issues falling under its competence.
• Standards, provisions, norms and regulations developed and approved by the Ministry in health and social protection sector in accordance with the established procedures have a binding effect on all ministries and departments of the Republic of Tajikistan, local executive authorities, enterprises, institutions, and organizations, regardless of the form of ownership and departmental affiliation, as well as individuals.

2. Authority

• The Ministry exercises the following powers:

– submits to the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan draft laws, normative legal acts of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan on issues related to the implementation of a unified state policy and regulation of legal norms for activities in health and social protection sector;

– approves the nomenclature of positions and specialties in healthcare and social protection system;

– determines the procedure for personnel assessment and certification of specialists in healthcare and pharmacy system, regardless of the form of ownership and departmental affiliation;

– approves the procedure for personnel assessment in the social protection sphere;

– approves the procedure for the examination and control over the production, sale, storage, accounting and use of medicines, including narcotic drugs and equated to them, vaccines and serums, medical equipment, medical and sanitary-and-hygienic products, products of medical meals, nutritional supplements, and cosmetics in enterprises, institutions and other organizations, regardless of the form of ownership and departmental affiliation, officinal registry;

– determines and implements the procedure, ways and methods of analyzing corruption risks in public health and social protection institutions (as amended by Decree of the Government of RT No. 822 dated December 30, 2015);

– determines the procedure for providing citizens with medical and sanitary, hospital, pharmaceutical and social services to citizens in public health facilities and social protection services, conduction of medical and medical-genetic examinations, referring persons in need to sanatorium-resort care, determining indications and contraindications for treatment at resorts and in the sanatoriums of the republic, a list of diseases subject to existence of which it is forbidden to citizens and their legal representatives to refuse from examination and treatment;

– approves the list of medical indications and the procedure for conducting medical sterilization (surgical), indications for abortion, the timing of pregnancy and the procedure for performing an artificial termination of pregnancy;

– approves the procedure for carrying out special measures for the prevention of diseases that are dangerous to others, a list of complex diagnostic and treatment methods that require the written consent of patients or their legal representatives;

– approves the procedure for conducting clinical and medico-biological tests, applying modern and advanced diagnostic and treatment methods, issuing permits for clinical trials;

– approves the procedure for determining the death point of a person, the cessation of resuscitation, determination of the procedure for conducting post-mortem examination;

– determines the procedure for providing medical and sanitary, and social assistance to citizens engaged in physical culture and sports, organizing medical and preventive care in schools and preschool institutions;

– determines the order, type and scope of medical and sanitary, and social assistance to citizens suffering from socially significant diseases;

– determines the procedure for ensuring a unified policy in medical, pharmaceutical industry, and orthopedic productions;

– approves the requirements for products of medical-sanitary, pharmaceutical, prosthetic – orthopedic appointment and other technical means of transportation in accordance with the established procedures;

– approves the procedure for establishing a system of statistical accounting and reporting in health and social protection sector;

– carries out the state sanitary and epidemiological supervision, carrying out of actions on ecological and radiation safety, environmental protection, and also sanitary protection of the territory of the republic, within the limits of its competence;

– carries out the examination of temporary disability of citizens, as well as forensic psychiatric and forensic medical examination;

– develops and approves the procedure for arranging admission of foreign citizens and traveling abroad for citizens of the republic for diagnosis, treatment and medical and social rehabilitation;

– approves the immunization procedure of the population;

– develops and approves the hospital stay procedure for persons providing child nursing care, medicine indications and contraindications, the procedure for selecting and sending children to a sanatorium-and-resort treatment;

– develops and approves the procedure for transplantation of organs and tissues from person to person, artificial insemination and embryo implantation;

– develops and approves the procedure for providing contraceptive assistance to voluntarily desiring population;

– determines the procedure for performance assessment and accreditation of medical and pharmaceutical educational institutions, regardless of the form of ownership and departmental affiliation, with the exception of laboratories and certification authorities in the field of compliance assessment;

– develops and approves the procedure for personnel assessment of the leading personnel of the healthcare and social protection system;

– develops and approves the procedure for engaging in medical and pharmaceutical activities persons who have undergone various stages of medical and pharmaceutical education in relevant institutions of foreign states and have received state-recognized documents on education;

– develops and approves the procedure and requirements for the issuance of a specialist certificate to persons engaged in medical, pharmaceutical and social services;

– develops and approves the procedure of postgraduate education of medical and pharmaceutical specialists (internship, residency, qualification-based training, retraining, primary specialization) and social work;

– develops and approves the procedure for retraining and qualification-based training of workers of the social protection system;

– determines the procedure for passing on-job training and practice by students and trainees in medical, educational and scientific health facilities;

– determines the donation procedure and conditions;

– determines the list of persons subject to preferential provision with medicines, prosthetic and orthopedic devices and products, corrective hearing aids and hearing aids, the exercise therapy tools, as well as the conditions and supply procedure;

– determines the list of positions and professions subject to preferential replacement by disabled persons, as well as a list of products and services which primary right of production is granted to public organizations of disabled people, to their enterprises;

– carries out internal audit for the targeted and effective use of the budgetary funds of the central office and in budget institutions and organizations of the Ministry’s system;

– develops and makes proposals on improving the state policy in the field of social protection of the family, women, children, the elderly, veterans of the Great Patriotic War and veterans of military operations in other countries, and equaled to them persons with disabilities;

– develops proposals for improving the order of social assistance, especially for targeted assignment and payment of assistance and compensations to low-income population;

– develops state programs for social support to low-income population and monitors their implementation;

– develops and implements measures to create conditions for social adaptation and integration into society of handicapped persons, including children with disabilities;

– develops relevant acts on organization and development of public services for medical and social expertise and state system for rehabilitation of disabled people, providing them with prosthetic and orthopedic assistance, conducting research on disability and its prevention;

– provides control over the provision of benefits and advantages to citizens for prosthesis, promotes production increase and perfection of the manufacturing technology of prosthetic and orthopedic products, special means of transportation, development of a network of organizations of various forms of ownership on production of prosthetic and orthopedic products;

– in cooperation with state administration bodies and local executive authorities organizes creation and development of a network of integrated and specialized, state, territorial, local and other social services, including stationary social service facilities, and coordinates their activities and methodological provision;

– develops and approves standards of social services for the population;

– provides methodological guidance and control over the activities of the social service, including social service institutions;

– Analyzes the situation on service delivery in social service facilities, promotes the development of medical units, subsidiary holding and improvement of medical and rehabilitation activities in the institutions of the social protection system;

– carries out selection and referral of people in need to sanatorium-resort and out-patient-resort treatment;

– Conducts a study on and analysis of quantitative and qualitative changes of social service, provision of forecasts on development of the state and other organizational-legal forms of organizations for social service;

– performs the functions of the main state administrator of programs and targeted scientific, technical and investment projects in the established spheres of the Ministry;

– conducts social expertise of the state targeted and investment programs being developed in the field of social protection;

– monitors the implementation of legislation in health and social protection sector, including verification of the correctness of the appointment and appropriate payments, benefits and targeted social assistance to low-income population, people with disabilities and other citizens in difficult living conditions;

– organizes and ensures the provision of targeted social assistance to low-income families and citizens;

– exercise other powers established by the legislation of the Republic of Tajikistan.

• Ministry with the purpose of exercising powers in the established field of activity is eligible:

– to request and receive without compensation statistical information, offers, conclusions and other necessary materials regarding implementation of the state policy in health and social protection sector from the ministries and departments, local executive authorities, medical and pharmaceutical institutions and other organizations, regardless of the form of ownership and departmental affiliation, as well as individuals engaged in private medical and pharmaceutical practices and social services;

– to coordinate the activities of ministries and departments, local executive authorities, enterprises and other medical, pharmaceutical and social protection institutions on implementation of state policy in health and social protection sector, regardless of their forms of ownership and departmental affiliation;

– to develop and approve regulatory acts, regulatory and methodological documents on issues falling under competence of the Ministry;

– to hear information from representatives of ministries, departments and other economic entities of the republic on issues falling under competence of the Ministry on panel meetings of the Ministry,

– to organize and conduct exhibitions, conferences, workshops, symposiums, meetings and other events in the relevant areas of health and social protection in relation to the issues falling under competence of the Ministry

– to consider issues under own competence, form councils (commissions, working groups), including representatives of other government bodies;

– to submit proposals to the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan on establishment, reorganization and liquidation of enterprises, institutions and organizations of the Ministry’s system according to established procedure

– to coordinate the statutes and provisions of social service institutions established by other government bodies and non-governmental organizations;

– to submit requests to cancel the decisions of heads of local executive authority on issues of health and social protection which contradict to legislation of the Republic of Tajikistan;

– to approve the statutes of enterprises, institutions and organizations of the Ministry’s system;

– to request and receive information from the relevant ministries and departments and local executive authorities on financing of health and social protection system; monitor the implementation of interstate and intergovernmental agreements, programs and plans approved in the prescribed manner in health and social protection sector;

– to monitor and coordinate research on issues of health and social protection, as well as determining the need for funding the scientific researches;

– to monitor implementation of the approved programs in health and social protection sector;

– to provide measures for organization of medical-sanitary and pharmaceutical assistance in emergency situations;

– to in cooperation with local executive authorities monitor the quality of medical-sanitary, hospital and medicinal care provided by all medical and pharmaceutical institutions regardless of the forms of ownership and by individuals engaged in medical and pharmaceutical activities;

– to regulate the activities of enterprises and organizations of the Ministry’s system;

– to determine industrial standards for health and social protection, including pharmacy, quality standards for medical services, other standards, norms and regulations, instructive materials and other regulatory legal acts, approve and ensure control over their implementation according to established procedure

– to be involved in the formulation and implementation of the HR policy, scientific and scientific and technological policy in the field of public health and social protection, in cooperation with other government agencies;

– to determine health sector and social protection priorities, development and promotion of the priority principle of disease prevention, primary health care, inpatient healthcare and social services for the population;

– to represent the interests of the Republic of Tajikistan on healthcare and social protection issues in foreign countries and international organizations;

– to establish a list of medical and social indications for referral (placing) children with physical and mental development defects to specialized children pre-school institutions, boarding schools, infant orphanage and boarding homes for children under budgetary financing;

– to issue laws and regulations binding for all legal persons and individuals engaged in provision of medical, pharmaceutical and social services, within the limits of its competence;

– to carry out control checks on the execution of regulations, standards, norms and rates in any health, pharmaceutical and social protection facilities, health authorities and social protection, provide revocation of the licenses issued in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of the Republic of Tajikistan, within the limits of its competence;

– to establish republican and sectoral sanitary requirements, rules and hygienic standards;

– to issue licenses to legal entities and individuals for health care activities, as well as activities on medical and pharmaceutical education according to the legislation requirements;

– to carry out the performance assessment of the healthcare system and social protection management staff;

– to provide authorization to be engaged in professional activities to persons received an official document (diploma) in foreign countries at various medical and pharmaceutical education levels;

– to submit proposals to the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan on establishment of  the Medical Insurance Fund and the single payer system, in accordance with the established procedure;

– to submit proposals to the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan on the distribution of funds allocated from the state budget for the health sector and social protection of the population by the MOHSP, in accordance with the established procedure;

– to submit proposals to the relevant agencies for improving  financial, statistical, tariff, credit, tax, scientific and technological policy of the Republic of Tajikistan in the public health and social protection sector, to be involved in the discussion of these issues;

– to be involved in the establishment of funds and organizations to support the development of the healthcare sector and social protection in the country;

– to determine the procedure for authorizing specialists to carry out healthcare and pharmacy activities regardless of the form of ownership and departmental subordination;

– to manage due diligence, standardization, state registration, certification of medicines, medical goods, works, medical and sanitary, pharmaceutical services and social protection services, in accordance with the established procedure;

– to approve and publish the State Pharmacopoeia of the Republic of Tajikistan and the State Medicine Register of the Republic of Tajikistan;

– to provide accreditation of  the healthcare system facilities, enterprises and organizations, as well as performance assessment, accreditation and licensing of the health and pharmaceutical educational institutions, regardless of their forms of ownership and departmental subordination, with the exception of laboratories and certification authorities in charge of compliance assessment;

– to determine the procedure for conducting performance assessment and certification of specialists in the health care system, pharmacy and social protection sector, regardless of the ownership and departmental subordination;

– to establish public policy on supervision and verification of the activities carrying out in the field of medicine, pharmacy and social protection by individuals and legal entities, regardless of the form of ownership and departmental subordination, within its competence;

– to develop and approve standard provisions on republican, provincial, city, district and other levels of the health and social protection facilities;

– to provide assistance and advisory and methodological guidance to the health and pharmaceutical facilities and organizations, social protection agencies;

– to monitor the quality of scientific, educational and medical papers  in educational, scientific and clinical medical facilities and social protection agencies, within the limits of its competence;

– to provide with the agency-level awards and grant health and social protection staff to state awards for special social and public services;

– to carry out foreign economic activity;

– to establish print media and arrange publishing activities;

– to provide recommendations for publishing relevant, sectoral and specialized medical and pharmaceutical scientific and social protection educational books;

– to issue job referrals and monitor the arrival of graduates from medical and pharmaceutical educational institutions to the workplace;

– to carry out retraining and professional development of the health care system and social protection staff;

– in coordination with other ministries and agencies, local authorities, to implement the public policy on  social protection of the family, women, children, the elderly, Great Patriotic War veterans and veterans of military actions in other countries, persons and persons with disabilities equal to them, and implement public social support programs for these population groups;

– to establish institutions and Vocational Training and Retraining Centers for persons with disabilities;

– to implement the public targeted social assistance policy, allocation and payment of compensation, cash benefits to vulnerable population and people with disabilities;

– to establish international cooperation in the field of social protection and submit the GoT proposals regarding international conventions and other international legal instruments on social protection;

– to promote establishment and development of the State Medical and Social Expertise Service, the state rehabilitation system of disabled people and supply of the technical rehabilitation means, including prosthetic and orthopaedic appliances;

– to establish a government regulatory function to provide social services through NGOs and public organizations, within the framework of the legislation;

– to monitor the provision of various types of social services and assistance to the population;

– to manage the establishment and development of a state network of a local specialized social protection agency and other services, including inpatient facilities and rendering social services to the population, coordinate their activities and provide methodological support, develop and approve the social service standards, jointly with the government and local authorities;

– to provide methodological guidance and monitor activities of the social service agencies;

– to coordinate the in-home activities of social assistance departments, local social care centers and other social care institutions, in collaboration with local authorities;

– to develop and carry out measures on developing a hospital social care institutions network and strengthen their basic infrastructure;

– to take measures on providing  targeted social assistance to vulnerable families and citizens, including disabled persons;

– to establish a single data bank for the purpose of registering individuals receiving targeted social assistance, including vulnerable families, disabled persons, lonely elderly, children and orphans without guardianship;

– to plan budgetary funds allocated for the targeted social assistance assignment and payment  and other expenses provided for these purposes;

– to monitor and follow the procedure for the appointment, payment and target designated for payment of compensations and targeted social assistance;

– to raise public awareness on implementing new mechanisms for providing targeted social assistance to low-income citizens and families, in collaboration with local authorities;

– to coordinate the activities of public organizations working with disabled persons, blind, deaf, dumb persons and war and labor veterans;

– to carry out other activities stipulated by the legislation of the Republic of Tajikistan.

3. Administration

• The Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Republic of Tajikistan is headed by a Minister appointed and dismissed by a Decree of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan.

The Minister bears personal responsibility for the fulfillment of powers conferred to the MOHSP and the implementation of the relevant state policy.

The Minister has deputies, including the first deputy, appointed and dismissed by the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan.

• The MOHSP institutional structure consists of key departments and units. The structure of departments includes units and sub-units.
• Minister:

– carries out general management of the MOHSP activities and administer its operation;

– distributes duties between his deputies;

– approves the provisions of the structural subdivisions of the central MOHSP office;

– approves the statutes of the MOHSP enterprises and organizations, on behalf of the Ministry;

– approves the structure and staff schedule of the central MOHSP office according to the standard  provision, within the payroll and the number of employees, within the limits established by the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan for the maintenance of the central MOHSP office and the funds allocation from the national budget;

– appoints and dismisses employees of the central MOHSP office as per established procedure;

– submits proposals to the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan on candidates to be included in or excluded from the MOHSP Panel composition;

– appoints and dismisses the heads of the national and regional facilities and departments of the health and social protection system, the central hospital Chief Doctors and heads of the facilities PHC primary health and hospital care and social services for cities and districts in agreement with the heads of regions, cities and districts;

– provides written consent to the Chairmen of regions, cities and districts on the appointment and dismissal of the heads of the regional health departments and Dushanbe health department, social protection units and sub-units;

– submits proposals on the administration of the MOHSP subordinate departments, in accordance with the established procedure;

– submits proposals to the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Tajikistan on the National Budget formulation in terms of financial support to the MOHSP and subordinate institutions activities, in accordance with the established procedure;

– approves the structure and staff schedule of the MOHSP facilities and organizations;

– approves the budgeting of the MOHSP institutions and organizations from the National Budget and other sources, in agreement with the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Tajikistan;

– submit proposals to the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan on the establishment, reorganization and liquidation of the MOHSP institutions and organizations, in accordance with the established procedure;

– issues appropriate orders on operational and other current issues related to the MOHSP administration;

– exercises other rights in accordance with the legislation of the Republic of Tajikistan.

11. Ministry establishes an MOHSP Panel comprising the Minister (Chairman) and Deputy Ministers (as appointed), heads of central departments, heads of services, as well as other heads of health care system and social protection organizations. The Panel membership is approved by the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan, upon the recommendation of the Minister. The Panel decisions are implemented through the Minister’s orders.
12. The MOHSP Regulations, organisational chart of its central office, institutional and management structure, the maximum number of the central office staff, list of the MOHSP enterprises, facilities and organizations, the procedure for financing the central MOHSP office is established and approved by the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan.
13. The Ministry’s central office includes structural units (departments, units, sub-units) and subsidiary units responsible for the development and implementation of the national health and social protection policy, development of the relevant norms and standards, rates and regulations, regulation of medical, pharmaceutical and social welfare activities, determination of the terms of bilateral agreements between the MOHSP and state enterprises, facilities and other organizations operating in the field of public health and social protection, as well as support units and auxiliary departments.
14. The MOHSP institutional and management structure includes structural units listed in Appendix 3, departments, units, sub-units of relevant structural subdivisions of local authorities, which are responsible for the development and implementation of a unified public health and social protection policy, in cooperation with the Ministry.
15. The Ministry determines the terms of bilateral agreements with the government-owned enterprises, institutions and other organizations carrying out public health and social protection activities as independent economic entities contributing to increase the scope and quality of the health and social services.
16. Reports of the heads of enterprises, institutions and other organizations on the implementation of agreements concluded with the Ministry, implementation of approved programs and plans are heard at the MOHSP Panel, on the regular basis.
17. Costs for the maintenance of the central MOHSP office and departments specified in its Institutional and Management Structure, except local authorities are covered from the National budget and other funds in accordance with the procedure agreed with the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Tajikistan.
18. The Ministry is a legal entity, it has its cover letters, a seal with the State Emblem of the Republic of Tajikistan and its name in the state language and in Russian, other relevant seals, stamps and forms and is serviced through a Single Bank Account of the Central Treasury Department, Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Tajikistan.
19. Location of the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Republic of Tajikistan: Shevchenko Street 69, Dushanbe 734025, Republic of Tajikistan.