In the Ishtykhan district of the Samarkand Region, two children died after a circumcision procedure performed at the district medical association. According to the collected materials, both children were admitted to the medical facility in satisfactory condition; however, the necessary tests were not taken from them before the intervention. The publication also reports that the procedures themselves were not properly documented.

According to information from Kun.uz, on March 22, 2026, a circumcision was performed at the district medical association on 5-year-old Elkhan Tursunov. The next day, the child’s condition worsened and bleeding began in the area of the intervention. The boy’s father, Elyor Rajabov, said that he contacted by phone the surgeon Aziz Khudoyberdiev, who had performed the procedure, and was advised to обратиться to his colleague Javlon Meliev.

“Javlon Meliev took my son in and provided medical assistance for about 20 minutes. He bandaged the surgical site and said everything was fine and there was no need to worry. But by evening my son developed a fever,” Rajabov said.

According to the father, the family continued to follow the doctors’ recommendations, but there was no improvement. He also said that on March 27 the surgeon was called to their home and after examining the child stated: “He caught a cold — it will pass.” After objections from the local nurse, the child was taken to the hospital again. He was placed in intensive care, and about half an hour later the family was informed of the boy’s death.

As noted in the report, a week later, on April 3, the condition of another child — Hamidjon Tukhtaev — worsened at the same medical association. It is reported that he developed an allergic reaction and a high temperature, and when the family contacted the hospital they were told that “this is natural and will pass.” On April 8, 2026, the child died in the hospital. According to available data, he also did not undergo a general examination before the procedure.

The head of the Prosecutor General’s Office information service, Hayot Shamsutdinov, told Kun.uz that an inspection was conducted into the deaths of Elkhan Tursunov and Hamidjon Tukhtaev after circumcision. As a result, it was deemed necessary to carry out additional investigative actions, including face-to-face confrontations, exhumation, and other procedural measures.

On this basis, on May 2, 2026, a criminal case was opened under Article 116, Part 3 of the Criminal Code (improper performance of professional duties). Investigative actions are ongoing.