European Union and UNICEF strengthen healthcare services in Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region

Khorog/Murghab, 8 June 2026 – UNICEF Tajikistan Representative Arthur van Diesen and the European Union Ambassador to Tajikistan, Radoslaw Darski, visited Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) to review ongoing investments aimed at improving access to quality healthcare services for remote communities.

During their visit to Khorog, the delegation reviewed rehabilitation works at the Infectious Disease Department of the regional hospital, currently being upgraded with funding from the European Union and implemented with UNICEF support. The rehabilitation project is transforming healthcare conditions for both patients and medical personnel. The works include the renovation of a two-storey building comprising 28 wards, consultation rooms, kitchens and a laundry facility, alongside significant improvements to water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure. Upon completion, the department will feature 19 sanitary facilities, 52 washbasins, 26 water heaters, and fully modernized internal and external water supply and sewerage systems extending more than 1.5 kilometres.

“The rehabilitation of healthcare facilities is essential to strengthening health systems and ensuring equitable access to services,” said Arthur van Diesen, UNICEF Representative in Tajikistan. “Through our partnership with the European Union, we are helping improve healthcare infrastructure and create better conditions for delivering life-saving services to children, families and communities.”

The delegation also travelled to Murghab district, where they marked the opening of the rehabilitated Rural Health Centre in Birdibaev village. The facility serves remote mountain communities and significantly improves access to essential primary healthcare services for more than 2,000 people living in the area. Previously, residents faced long and difficult journeys to access basic healthcare. The rehabilitated health centre now provides local communities with improved access to quality medical services closer to home.

Implemented in partnership with UNICEF Tajikistan and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, the initiative reflects a shared commitment to advancing universal health coverage and ensuring that even the most remote communities can access quality, life-saving healthcare.

Over the past decade, the European Union has invested more than €60 million in Tajikistan’s health sector, supporting the strengthening of primary healthcare services, rehabilitation of health facilities, and capacity-building for healthcare workers across the country.

These investments contribute to improving health outcomes, strengthening resilience, and ensuring that no one is left behind, particularly those living in remote and underserved areas.