For years, on cold winter mornings in Syrdarya, mothers carrying young children would often arrive at Polyclinic No. 4 hoping for medical care, only to find themselves in barely warmer waiting rooms. In the summer, the opposite problem emerged: some areas became uncomfortably hot, making long waits difficult for patients and exhausting for healthcare workers.

For Mokhira, who has worked at the polyclinic for years, these challenges were part of everyday life: “During summer and winter, it was difficult for both patients and staff. Some rooms became too hot, others too cold, and hot water was not always reliable.”

 The polyclinic serves hundreds  of local residents, including the elderly, pregnant women and young children. While healthcare professionals remained committed to providing quality care, aging infrastructure often made their work harder. Maintaining comfortable temperatures required significant energy, yet still failed to fully meet patients' needs.

Through a pilot project implemented by the Ministry of Economy and Finance and UNDP with financial support from the Government of Japan, the clinic received energy-efficient climate solutions, including modern air-conditioning systems using environment friendly refrigerant (R290), a heat pump-based hot water system   with integration of solar photovoltaic panels, and smart energy management technologies.

Behind these visible benefits lies another important result. By reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, the polyclinic is helping demonstrate how climate action can strengthen essential public services while lowering environmental impacts.

What began as an energy-efficiency pilot has become something more tangible for people: a healthier, more comfortable place to seek care.

 “Now people feel much more comfortable, and the environment is better for everyone,” shares Makhbuba.

This pilot demonstrates how climate action can directly strengthen human security - protecting people’s wellbeing while ensuring that public institutions continue delivering essential services in a changing climate.