Russia has one of the highest numbers of doctors per capita globally, but its healthcare spending remains relatively low compared to other countries, resulting in generally poor health outcomes. According to OECD data, Russia allocates only about 5% of its GDP to healthcare, significantly less than the average for developed nations. This underfunding contributes to systemic inefficiencies and uneven quality of care across the country.
While the Russian healthcare system is, on paper, free and accessible to all citizens, the reality is far more complex. A convoluted system of compulsory medical insurance and low wages for medical staff has fostered widespread corruption. In many public hospitals, adequate care is difficult to obtain without unofficial payments or bribes. This issue was starkly highlighted in 2023 by a series of investigations into regional hospitals, where understaffing, outdated equipment, and lack of basic supplies severely hindered patient outcomes.
A notorious case in Belgorod in December 2015, where a doctor fatally punched a patient during an altercation, brought international attention to the strained and sometimes hostile conditions in Russian medical facilities. This incident underscored broader systemic problems, including overburdened staff, insufficient training, and inadequate workplace protections for medical professionals.
In Moscow and other major cities, modern private clinics provide high-quality services comparable to those in Europe or the United States. However, outside urban centers, much of the healthcare infrastructure relies on aging Soviet-era facilities and outdated medical practices. Although medicine is widely available in Russia and many drugs that are prescription-only in Western countries can be purchased over the counter, the tendency to overprescribe leads many Russians to spend disproportionately on medication. This practice often burdens patients financially without necessarily improving health outcomes.
Emergency care, while theoretically free, faces similar challenges. Reports of delayed response times for state-provided ambulances are common, particularly in rural areas. In some cases, private ambulance services arrive faster, but at significant personal cost. There have also been allegations of state ambulance crews demanding payment to transport patients to hospitals, undermining the principle of universal emergency care.
To compensate for these challenges, many middle-class Russians opt for private health insurance or pay out-of-pocket for services at private clinics. This trend highlights growing disparities in access to quality healthcare, particularly between urban and rural populations.
Recent reforms have aimed to address some of these issues. For example, the Russian government announced a significant increase in healthcare spending for 2025, with the federal budget allocating 1.86 trillion rubles to the sector. This includes investments in modernizing regional hospitals, improving access to specialized care, and upgrading diagnostic equipment. However, whether these initiatives will be enough to resolve deep-rooted systemic issues remains to be seen.
NOTE: photo editor (a representative of the media) can choose the necessary photos and we will send to the specified e-mail (or you can get a link) photos in high resolution for website (2000 px 72 dpi) after payment (right). The number of photos does not depend on the price. Captions to the photos should be specified separately. We do not indicate the name and surname of the photographer until we agree with the author on his safety. The author himself decides to reveal his name or just publish on behalf of CloseUpRussia or Liberty.SU
Author: Photographer
Copyright: Author (Photographer)
Caption: Author…/Liberty.SU
Full story of pictures:
Photo Room: editorial@liberty.su
Liberty.SU is a small independent Foundation. We are very grateful of any and all support, whether it be sharing social posts, looking at, discussing, writing about, purchasing or collecting the books and photographs.