| Samarkand State Medical University was established as “ State Uzbek Medical Institute” 90 years ago, on May 7, 1930, by a resolution of the republic government(Resolution of the Council of People’s Commissars of Uzbekistan No.80 ). This was a fantastic occasion for the Central Asian community, as there was no autonomous medical higher education institution in the region. The University has progressed along a long journey to become one of the premier medical higher educational institutions not only in Uzbekistan but also in the whole Central Asian area. With the republic’s independence, the Samarkand State Medical Institute (from April 2022 – University) received a special development. In 1997, the government enacted a “National Training Program,” and in 1998, a State Health Care Reform Program, which led in the founding of a Faculty of Higher Nursing in 1999. In 2001, a College of Medical Pedagogy was established, and in 2005, the Faculty of Stomatology, Medical Preventative Medicine, Medical Biology, and Pharmacy was established, with students enrolling in a new course named “Traditional Medicine” in the following years. The University established collaboration with renowned foreign universities such as Volga Medical Research University, Chuvash National University named after I.N. Ulyanov (Russia), Ternopil National Medical University named after Y.B. Gorbachevsky (Ukraine), National Louis University Graduate School of Business (Poland), and Belarusian State Medical University (Republic of Belarus) to train staff in joint educational programs leading to Bachelor and Master degrees. Personnel training under the second higher education program is being vigorously carried out in collaboration with the Korean side. In addition, beginning with the academic year 2020-2021, students from the Republic of India who choose to pursue higher medical study within the walls of the institution will be admitted. In our opinion, the decision of Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev dated April 1, 2022 “On establishing Samarkand State Medical University and further perfection of the training system in this sphere” on establishing a modern medical university in ancient Samarkand based on Samarkand State Medical Institute, embodying the most advanced achievements of local and international experience, has strategic significance. The institution offers everything needed for this, including a strong scientific and pedagogical capacity, a diverse material and technological foundation, and a long history of teaching trained medical people. According to the presidential decree, the educational process should be oriented towards the formation of practical skills, with the widespread implementation of advanced pedagogical technologies, curricula, and innovative materials based on international educational standards, the creation of the necessary conditions to ensure the combination of theoretical knowledge and practice in the clinic and the educational base, and the development of academic mobility programs for students, teachers, and researchers working in collaboration with foreign medical universities, conducting fundamental, applied, and innovative research to solve existing problems in medical practice, are now able to gradually introduce the concept of “University 3.0,” which provides an integral connection of medical education, science, and practical healthcare with real sectors of the economy. Nowadays, the institution offers instruction in 9 faculties and 9 Bachelor’s degrees. |
