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: 08.06.2023). 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

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