The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has allocated a grant of $30 million to improve maternal and child health services in Tajikistan. The project will cover three districts – Aini, Dangara and Darvaz, where modern medical facilities will be built, the bank said in a statement.

A maternity hospital with 40 beds is planned to be built in Aini, 80 beds in Dangara, and a central district hospital with 100 beds will be built in Darvaz. All buildings will be equipped with energy-efficient technologies adapted to the climatic conditions of the region.

"Over the past 2 decades, Tajikistan has achieved commendable improvements in the field of health, including an increase in life expectancy and a significant reduction in maternal mortality. However, there is uneven access and quality of medical care depending on the geography and socio-economic situation of mothers and children, and this needs to change. ADB's support will help solve this problem by improving medical facilities and human resources in three regions," said ADB Director General for Central and West Asia Yevgeny Zhukov.

Special attention will be paid to the implementation of a digital asset management system (OpenMEDIS), which will ensure effective accounting and maintenance of medical equipment. Staff training will be conducted to work with the system.

"To improve the provision of integrated medical services, the project will strengthen the management and training of medical professionals, improve tools and processes for perinatal services, and introduce pilot case-based financing to make hospital financing mechanisms more efficient," the bank said.

In addition, an information and educational campaign will be conducted among the population aimed at increasing knowledge in the field of maternal and child health and encouraging requests for qualified medical care.

The project complements the current ADB grant of $32 million, approved in 2018 as part of the Comprehensive Maternal and Child Health Care program. This initiative helps the Government of Tajikistan to improve medical services in the districts of Faizabad, Rasht and Shamsiddin Shokhin.