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On November 28, the State Agency on Mandatory Health Insurance (the Agency) and the Administration of the Regional Medical Divisions (TABIB) organized a media tour to the Shamkir District Central Hospital. The tour aimed to familiarize media representatives with the implementation of the mandatory health insurance system at the hospital and to give them an opportunity to observe how patients use the insurance services in practice.
Samir Namazov, Director of the hospital, told participants of the media tour that the introduction of mandatory health insurance has strengthened the hospital’s material and technical base and expanded the range of services: "The hospital operates 15 departments across various specialties, providing both outpatient and inpatient care to citizens. The entity has the capacity to provide inpatient services with 229 beds. Since the introduction of mandatory health insurance, 30 new medical devices have been added, including CT and MRI, gastroscopes, electroencephalographs, echocardiographs, otoscopes, ophthalmoscopes, laparoscopes, and other diagnostic equipment, which improve both efficiency and accuracy in patient examinations. In addition, haemodialysis department has started operating in three shifts."
Hikmat Ibrahimli, Head of the Agency’s Medical Planning Department, highlighted that regular monitoring is carried out at the hospital to improve the quality of medical services: "This year, nine monitoring activities were conducted here. These evaluations assess infrastructure, condition of technical equipment, patient admission and registration processes. Shamkir District Central Hospital offers almost all the core medical services included in the Benefits Package, enabling residents to receive care locally without traveling to other cities. From last year until July of this year, the hospital provided 1,083,258 medical services. Thanks to mandatory health insurance, the local population can access essential services at the Hospital without additional cost or time.
Aynura Ahmadova, Head of the Agency’s Marketing and Public Relations Department, noted that the scope of surgeries performed at the hospital has expanded since the introduction of insurance: "Today, surgical procedures that were previously unavailable, such as laparoscopic cholecystectomy, cystectomy, and thyroidectomy, are now performed in Shamkir. From last year to July of this year, over 11,000 surgeries were carried out under mandatory health insurance. These procedures mainly addressed pregnancy and childbirth, respiratory, digestive, and genitourinary diseases, as well as injuries and poisoning cases."
Zamira Adilova, Head of Public Relations and Communications Department of the Administration of the Regional Medical Divisions, shared that the “Mentor Clinic” project has been launched to increase access to medical services in the regions as part of “Strategic Plan for 2025–2027” of the Administration of the Regional Medical Divisions: "The project aims to improve service quality by channelling medical expertise from the capital and major cities to regional hospitals and reducing patient flow to Baku. Medical institutions designated as mentor clinics will provide guidance to regional hospitals in doctor support, nurse training, expanding service offerings, and management. Currently, 55% of medical services are provided in Baku, Sumgait, and Absheron, while 45% are delivered in the regions. The pilot stage of the project is expected to be implemented over one year, and we believe it will make a significant contribution to the balanced development of healthcare services across the regions."
The media tour participants visited citizens receiving treatment under mandatory health insurance and got their feedback. They were introduced to the activities of the Children’s, Therapy, Surgery, and Intensive Care departments.
Later, media representatives received medical examinations at the facility. The event concluded with a question-and-answer session.
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