Since the amendments establishing responsibility for obstructing the work of medical workers in Uzbekistan came into force on March 27, 2023, courts have issued decisions to fine or arrest 87 individuals. This information was shared by the spokesperson of the Supreme Court, Aziz Abidov.
In 2023, under the new Article 197-7 of the Administrative Responsibility Code, 62 people were found guilty, with 40 receiving fines and 22 facing administrative arrest.
During the first quarter of 2024, 25 individuals were held accountable, including 14 who were fined and 11 officials who were arrested.
The punishment under this article includes fines ranging from 5 to 7 basic calculation values for citizens and 7 to 10 for officials, as well as administrative arrest for up to 15 days.
Reports of patients and their relatives attacking medical workers in Uzbekistan have been recurring. Ambulance crews, including drivers, are particularly at risk. The aim of the amendments was to protect the rights of medical workers, prevent interference in their professional activities, and elevate the status and authority of the medical profession.
The Ministry of Health had proposed introducing criminal liability for attacks on medics as early as 2019. The drafted bill aimed to classify assaults on doctors by citizens as hooliganism with aggravating circumstances, carrying a maximum penalty of 5 to 7 years in prison.
"In the current criminal legislation, the measures of responsibility for attacks on medical workers and causing them bodily harm are relatively lenient," noted Ruslan Mukhammadiyev, the head of the legal department at the Ministry of Health at the time. Sometimes even individuals who inflicted irreparable injuries on medical workers went unpunished, he stated.
