Access to Free Medical Assistance in Russia: State and Problems

The article problematizes the population’s access to free medical assistance, provided by state health care institutions. Basing on statistical data, the results of mass public opinion polls and surveys of specific professional groups, the author singles out the following factors preventing reduction of mortality-due-to-diseases growth in Russia (in particular, due to the most common, i.e. cancer and cardiovascular diseases): staff shortage in state healthcare institutions, their persistent underfunding, and lack of a clearly structured system of healthcare personnel reinforcement. The author focuses on the reasons for the staff attrition in the public health sector, such as motivation to work in the public healthcare system and the level of training of novice health workers. In conclusion, the author finds that the problems of access to health care in Russia are essential in terms of the development prospects for our country and are caused by the ill-considered state policy in the public health care and education sectors, these problems require immediate solutions, which must be effective and well-regulated at the same time.

Keywords

health care, access to health care, staff shortage, physician salary, health care education and training, demography

Received

08.04.2020

Publication date

27.04.2020

Number of characters

37706

Cite

GOST	Fadeeva E. Access to Free Medical Assistance in Russia: State and Problems // Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya – 2020. – Issue 4 C. 94-104 [Electronic resource]. URL: http://ras.jes.su/socis/s013216250009172-2-1-en (circulation date: 05.05.2024). DOI: 10.31857/S013216250009172-2
MLA	Fadeeva, Ekaterina V "Access to Free Medical Assistance in Russia: State and Problems." Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya 4 (2020):94-104. DOI: 10.31857/S013216250009172-2
APA	Fadeeva E. (2020). Access to Free Medical Assistance in Russia: State and Problems. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya (4), pp.94-104 DOI: 10.31857/S013216250009172-2

100 rub.

When subscribing to an article or issue, the user can download PDF, evaluate the publication or contact the author. Need to register.

Number of purchasers: 5, views: 2844

Readers community rating: votes 0

1. Artiukhov I.P., Shulmin A.V., Dobretsova E.A., Arshukova I.L., Titov L.S., Lang A.A. (2017) The Deficiency of Medical Personnel: Are there Perspectives for Changing? Sotsiologiya meditsiny [Sociology of Medicine]. Vol. 16. No. 2: 115–118. (In Russ.)

2. Belova N.I. (2017) Healthcare in Rural Areas: Condition, Tendencies and Challenges. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. No. 3: 97–105. (In Russ.)

3. Fadeeva E.V. (2018) Optimization of Healthcare and Pension Reform as Factors for Crowding Medical Intellectuals out of the Public Sector of Healthcare. Vestnik RGGU. Seriya: Filosofiya. Sotsiologiya. Iskusstvovedenie [RSUH/RGGU Bulletin. Series: Philosophy. Social Studies. Art Studies]. No. 4(14): 107–117. DOI: 10.28995/2073-6401-2018-4-107-117. (In Russ.)

4. Gallyamov R.R., Kuznetsova Yu.А. (2019) The Quality of Medical Care in a Russian Region: a Comparative Analysis of “Subjective” Indicators. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. No. 9: 146–153. DOI: 10.31857/S013216250006654-2. (In Russ.)

5. Guseva N.K., Berdutin V.А. (2016) Certain Issues of Evaluation of Medical Care Quality in the Health Care System of the Russian Federation. Zdravookhranenie Rossijskoy Federatsii [Health Care of the Russian Federation]. Vol. 60. No. 5: 228–233. (In Russ.)

6. Hurtsilava O.G., Luchkevich V.S., Avdeeva M.V., Logunov D.L. (2015) Providing the Population with Primary Care Physicians: Facts, Trends and Prognosis. Vestnik Severo-zapadnogo gosudarstvennogo meditsinskogo universiteta im. I.I. Mechnikova [Herald of the Northwestern State Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov]. No. 3: 66–72. (In Russ.)

7. Karpikova I.S. (2015) Quality and Availability of Medical Services: Population and Health Care Experts’ Opinions. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. No. 6: 53–57. (In Russ.)

8. Krom I.L., Erugina M.V., Kovalyov E.P., Eryomina M.G., Bochkaryova G.N. (2018) The Quality of Life of Physicians in the Contest of Financial Deprivations. Sotsiologiya meditsiny [Sociology of Medicine]. Vol. 17. No. 2: 80–82. (In Russ.)

9. Mukharyamova L.M., Saveleva Zh.V. (2019) Availability and Fairness of Health Protection for Elderly People (in Popular and Experts Assessments). Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. No. 9: 136–145. DOI: 10.31857/S013216250006663-2. (In Russ.)

10. Shamshurina N.G., Zhilina T.N. (2018) About Development of Quality of Organization and Provision of Medical Care. Sotsiologiya meditsiny [Sociology of Medicine]. Vol. 17. No. 2: 114–121. (In Russ.)

11. Vialykh N.А. (2015) Factors of Social Inequality Reproduction in the Sphere of Medical Services Consumption. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. No. 11: 126–132. (In Russ.)

12. Yerugina M.V., Krom I.L., Shmerkevich A.B., Dorogoykin D.L., Zhuzhlova N.Yu., Shigaev N.N., Bochkareva G.N. (2016) The Availability of Medical Care as an Obligatory Social Health Predictor of the Population in Russia. Saratovskij nauchno-meditsinskij zhurnal [Saratov Journal of Medical Scientific Research]. Vol. 12. No. 2: 101–105. (In Russ.)

13. Zhuk O.A. (2019) Medical University Graduates’ Opinions about the Quality of Education They Have Obtained. Meditsina: teoriya i praktika [Medicine: Theory and Practice]. Vol. 4. Special Issue: 207–208. (In Russ.)