Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service reports that there are many hospitals in Tajikistan offering cataract surgery but Tajiks, especially residents of the northern province of Sughd, prefer to go to neighboring Uzbekistan for surgery to remove a cataract that causes vision problems.
Thus, the 59-year-old former nurse from Sughd province went to Uzbekistan for operation.
"I paid about $800 for the surgery in Tashkent in late September," she said in an interview with RFE/RL’s Tajik Service. "The prices are roughly the same in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. But for me the most important factor was the quality of care."
Ms. Burhonova says she has "lost trust" in doctors at home after many reports of incorrect diagnoses and medical malpractice.
"I'm not saying we don't have good doctors in Tajikistan, but I didn't want to take any risk, especially when my eyesight is at stake," she said.
She is reportedly planning to return to Tashkent for a follow-up appointment with her ophthalmologist six weeks after the procedure.
Uzbekistan has become a top medical-tourism destination for many middle-income Tajiks and other neighboring Central Asians pursuing better quality and affordable treatment. Some patients seek specialized medical expertise that is not available in their home country.
RFE/RL says that according to Uzbek official statistics, 57,380 Tajik citizens traveled to Uzbekistan from January to August for medical care. The figure reportedly marks a 100 percent increase from the same period last year when some 28,600 Tajiks went to Uzbekistan for health reasons.
Tajik patients reportedly began exploring private medical treatments in Uzbekistan in 2018 after Tashkent introduced three-month, visa-free travel for its Central Asian neighbors.
Medical tourism has flourished in recent years after the borders reopened following a suspension during the coronavirus pandemic.
Affordable accommodation and food prices, the absence of bureaucratic hurdles, and the lack of a language barrier — Russian being spoken widely in Central Asia — have made Uzbekistan even more attractive to foreign patients.
Most Tajiks who seek medical treatment in Uzbekistan are middle class and can afford to make several trips to the neighboring state for consultations, treatment, and follow-up appointments.
Those who are better off usually opt for hospitals and clinics in China, Iran, and Russia.
