Azerbaijani MP raises regional hurdles in mandatory health insurance

Citizens in Azerbaijan's regions face significant barriers when seeking access to surgeries under the mandatory health insurance scheme, Member of Parliament Nagif Hamzayev said during a parliamentary session.

Addressing the Milli Majlis, Hamzayev noted that voters frequently raise complaints regarding referral procedures, but appeals submitted to TABIB, the State Agency for Mandatory Health Insurance, and other relevant bodies continue to yield no positive resolution.

Hamzayev pointed out that patients needing procedures unavailable in Ganja are routinely required to apply first to other state hospitals outside the city. Under current rules, regional patients can only access surgery at local private clinics under mandatory health insurance after collecting official refusals from 7 to 8 state hospitals. The lawmaker underscored the heavy financial strain this places on middle-class residents forced to travel to Baku and neighboring districts, alongside waiting lists in the capital that stretch to two or three months.

The lawmaker also warned that bypassing regional facilities could accelerate an outflow of skilled medical personnel, pushing qualified doctors in private regional hospitals to relocate to Baku or move abroad. Hamzayev called for systemic adjustments that would allow citizens in Ganja, Sheki, Lankaran, and other regional centers to receive complex surgeries at local private medical centers under the state health insurance framework.

Gulnar Nazimgizi