Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed the law “On amendments and additions to some legislative acts of the Republic of Uzbekistan aimed at ensuring the sanitary and epidemiological well-being of the population.”
The law was passed by the Legislative Chamber on 27 July 2021 and approved by the Senate on 31 July 2021.
The Law "On the Sanitary and Epidemiological Welfare of the Population" provides that the Chief State Sanitary Doctor of the Republic of Uzbekistan may introduce preventive vaccinations as part of sanitary and hygienic measures and anti-epidemic measures.
At the same time, the Law "On the Protection of Citizens’ Health" establishes that a citizen or his legal representative has the right to refuse medical intervention or demand its termination (except for the provision of medical care to persons suffering from diseases that pose a danger to others, without their consent).
However, this law does not contain a provision that in the event of a threat of the spread of infectious diseases, preventive vaccination of the population can be introduced.
Also, the current legislation does not envisage restrictive measures against persons who refuse to carry out preventive vaccinations in the event of a threat of the spread of infectious diseases.
Based on the above, the law of the Republic of Uzbekistan "On amendments and additions to some legislative acts of the Republic of Uzbekistan aimed at ensuring the sanitary and epidemiological well-being of the population" has been developed.
The law provides for:
firstly, a specific norm is introduced into Article 28 of the Law "On the Protection of Citizens’ Health" according to which, by the decision of the Chief State Sanitary Doctor of the Republic of Uzbekistan, preventive vaccination of the population may be introduced in the event of a threat of the spread of quarantine and other infectious diseases dangerous to humans;
secondly, article 113 of the Labor Code provides that if an employee refuses to undergo preventive vaccination, introduced in the presence of a threat of the spread of infectious diseases (in the absence of contraindications for health reasons), the employer has the right not to allow him to work.
