08.05.2008 - Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Dagestan: The only gynaecological clinic operating free-of-charge ordered to close by court decision ("In Daghestan, Free Maternity Care Ends With Hospital Closure") [ID 23882]

Document(s): Open document

2007 - Source:

Links to health resources ("Links to health resources") [ID 21858]

List of links to further research resources on health

Document(s): Links to health resources

2007 - Source:

World Health Organisation - Country Information ("Link to WHO Country Information") [ID 21864]

Information on diseases, health expenditures, health care provision and coverage, health system organisation and regulation, human resources in the health sector and statistics

Document(s): Link to WHO Country Information

2007 - Source:

Global Health Reporting - Country Information ("Link to Global Health Reporting") [ID 21865]

Collection of news, reports and links on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria

Document(s): Link to Global Health Reporting

14.11.2006 - Source: UK Home Office

Basic health service is provided for all citizens ("Operational Guidance Note: Russian Federation") [ID 21845]

"A basic health service is provided for all citizens in the Russian Federation. All health care in the Russian Federation was previously financed by the state, however in 1993, a health-insurance scheme, the Medical Insurance Fund, was introduced, funded by employers’ contributions. In 1999 there were 213 members of the population per physician, and 87 per hospital bed. In 2000 federal budgetary expenditure on health care (including sport) was 23 million roubles (1.7% of the total).
The state dominates healthcare provision. The system is free at the point of use for a basic package of services. Excluded items include dentistry, and pharmaceuticals are only partly covered in certain circumstances. Most people are insured under compulsory medical insurance agreements. Private healthcare provision is growing, but remains small. Under funding of the state system has pushed those who can afford it to turn to the private sector and has also encouraged unofficial payments within the state system. There are a number of therapeutic drugs generally available at the primary health care level in Russia."

Document(s): Open document

11.10.2006 - Source: Austrian Centre for Country of Origin and Asylum Research and Documentation

ACCORD response: Health care in Ingushetia ("a-5049 (ACC-RUS-5049)") [ID 21800]

Document(s): Open document

09.2006 - Source: US Social Security Administration

Report on social security system (disability and survivors; sickness and maternity; work injury) ("Social Security Programs Throughout the World") [ID 21849]

Document(s): Open document

01.05.2006 - Source: International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights

Lack of funding within public health care sector due to failure of many private companies to complete medical insurance payments; hospitals often in run-down condition ("Human Rights in the OSCE Region: Europe, Central Asia and North America, Report 2006 (Events of 2005)") [ID 15653]

"Lack of funding remained a problem within the public health care sector, with one major reason being that many private companies failed to complete medical insurance payments they were required to pay by law. As a result, the health care system suffered from e.g. shortage of staff and equipment, and hospitals were often in a run-down condition. In the Kurgan region, only 50% of regular staff positions were filled within the health care sector, and one fifth of all medical service buildings were threatened by demolition. In some cases, hospitals sought to cut costs by limiting the access to certain forms of treatment, such as more costly operations. Many medical specialists left public medical institutions for private institutions, where payment was better.

Persons without a permanent place of residence, such as members of nomadic peoples, continued to lack access to public health care services as registration at a certain place of residence was required for treatment at public medical institutions.

The prevalence of tuberculosis remained a cause of concern. According to information from the ministry of health and social development, about 30,000 people died from various forms of tuberculosis in the country during the year, and some 18,000 new cases of infected people were registered."

Document(s): Open document

2006 - Source: World Health Organization

Country profile on health in the Russian Federation (data on mortality, morbidity and exposure to key risk factors) ("Highlights on Health in the Russian Federation 2005") [ID 21854]

Document(s): Open document

11.08.2004 - Source: Federal Office for Migration (Switzerland)

Chechen refugees have access to medical treatment in Russia, even if they are not registered; additional allowances by patient decide on whether medical treatment will be sufficient ("Russland. Innerstaatliche Fluchtalternative für Tschetschenen") [#25374],  [ID 21848]

"Auch im Falle einer fehlenden provisorischen Registrierung erhalten tschetschenische Flüchtlinge Zugang zur medizinischen Versorgung. Von der gerade ausserhalb Moskaus unzureichenden Finanzierung des Gesundheitswesens und der weit verbreiteten Korruption ist die ganze russische Bevölkerung betroffen. Obwohl das Spitalpersonal im Notfall ihre Hilfe nicht verweigert, sind es die finanziellen Zuschüsse und nicht die Ethnie des Patienten, welche über eine ausreichende Versorgung entscheiden. Es ist nicht bekannt, dass Tschetschenen mit psychischen Beschwerden sich nicht von Ärzten russischer Ethnie behandeln lassen möchten."

Document(s): Open document

13.11.2001 - Source: Council of Europe - European Commission against Racism and Intolerance

Access to healthcare often conditional on registration ("Second report on the Russian Federation: Adopted on 16 March 2001 and made public on 13 November 2001 [CRI(2001) 41]") [#4815],  [ID 11983]

"30. Access to some social services is often conditional on registration by place of
residence. As a result, the discrimination experienced by members of certain
minority groups in obtaining registration of residence impact on these people’s
ability to enjoy these rights15. Thus, for example, although (according to the
‘Basis of Legislation of the Russian Federation on Health Protection’ of 22 July
1993 and to the federal law ‘On Medical Insurance of Citizens in the Russian
Federation’ of 28 June 1991) medical aid must be provided to everyone free of
charge, in practice, there are reports of aid being refused to sick persons not
locally registered."

Document(s): Open document

1998 - Source:

World Health Organization: Health care system guarantees comprehensive range of services for the entire population ("WHO: Health Care Systems in Transition: The Russian Fderation") [ID 11984]

"The statutory health care system guarantees access to a comprehensive range of services for the entire population. Those in work are covered by insurance contributions made by employers while children, students, the disabled, pensioners and the unemployed are covered by contributions made on their behalf by local authorities. TMHIFs underwrite care for those who have not arranged insurance cover for themselves and in areas where the insurance scheme is
not fully functional local authorities continue to fund health care facilities to treat patients on demand.
The federal government has sought to define the entitlement to care of the population on a number of occasions including in its ‘Basic Programme of Health Services’ in 1992. The definition of the care to be provided is the same for the whole population and includes,
• emergency care
• primary medical and social care to include home and paraprofessional care
• preventive and diagnostic treatment in polyclinics
• convalescence and monitoring and rehabilitation of children, teenagers, invalids, war veterans, and groups with veterans privileges and
• referred hospital care
The above includes what is referred to as ‘the minimal volume’ of medical care in 29 medical specialities that include cardiology, rheumatology, gastroenterology, orthapaedics, obstetrics and gynaecology. The full list covers the standard range of secondary medical services and ‘the minimal volume’ of medical care is taken to mean the provision of all such care as can be medically justified. In patient drugs are included in the basic package but the cost of pharmaceuticals prescribed to out-patients must be paid for by the patient out-of-pocket. This holds true whether the prescription is made in a specialist clinic or is from a ‘general practitioner’, unless the patient
falls into one of the exempt groups i.e. veterans, children, diabetics etc."

Document(s): WHO: Health Care Systems in Transition: The Russian Fderation

1998 - Source:

World Health Organization: Health status of the Russian population ("11/1999 - WHO: Highlights on Health in the Russian Federation") [ID 11985]

"There has been a dramatic rise in mortality, which is both unprecedented in a twentieth century industrial nation and exceptionally costly in human terms. Since 1990 Russian male life expectancy at birth has declined by seven years and in 1994 was 57.3, on a par with Pakistan.
Female life expectancy has been less profoundly affected but across the population as a whole 1 000 000 extra Russian deaths have occurred since the creation of the Russian Federation, which would not have occurred had the age and sex specific death rates for 1991 been maintained. While death rates now appear to have stabilized, the gap with the West remains catastrophic and a possible block to the reform process.
[...]
Children’s nutritional status is more worrying with an increase in the prevalence of stunting; an indicator of chronic malnutrition; among children of two and under. This problem appears to have doubled between September 1992 and August 1993 and to remain high. At the outset of the survey 6.9% of infants from 0–24 months were stunted compared to 12.8% in December 1994. Children from 25 months to 6 years old showed less evidence of an increase in stunting
although levels were higher at the outset with 9% falling into this category in 1992 and 10.4% in 1994. Other child health indicators are as distressing with up to 12% of the country’s classified invalids being children.
[...]
Women’s health, while it has been less affected in terms of mortality, is also severely compromised, particularly in relation to reproductive health. Maternal death rates are 51.6 per 100,000 live births (1993)14, five to ten times international levels, with particularly high rural rates. A high percentage of maternal deaths are due to abortion complications (29.4%), haemorrhagia (13.8%) and toxaemia (12%) of which 60% are believed to be avoidable. Access to birth control is still a major issue and abortion, following clandestine traditions
established during the pro-natalist policy of the Stalinist era, remains the major form of contraception."

Document(s): 11/1999 - WHO: Highlights on Health in the Russian Federation

1998 - Source:

World Health Organization: Health status of the Russian population ("WHO: Health Care Systems in Transition: The Russian Federation") [ID 11985]

"There has been a dramatic rise in mortality, which is both unprecedented in a twentieth century industrial nation and exceptionally costly in human terms. Since 1990 Russian male life expectancy at birth has declined by seven years and in 1994 was 57.3, on a par with Pakistan.
Female life expectancy has been less profoundly affected but across the population as a whole 1 000 000 extra Russian deaths have occurred since the creation of the Russian Federation, which would not have occurred had the age and sex specific death rates for 1991 been maintained. While death rates now appear to have stabilized, the gap with the West remains catastrophic and a possible block to the reform process.
[...]
Children’s nutritional status is more worrying with an increase in the prevalence of stunting; an indicator of chronic malnutrition; among children of two and under. This problem appears to have doubled between September 1992 and August 1993 and to remain high. At the outset of the survey 6.9% of infants from 0–24 months were stunted compared to 12.8% in December 1994. Children from 25 months to 6 years old showed less evidence of an increase in stunting
although levels were higher at the outset with 9% falling into this category in 1992 and 10.4% in 1994. Other child health indicators are as distressing with up to 12% of the country’s classified invalids being children.
[...]
Women’s health, while it has been less affected in terms of mortality, is also severely compromised, particularly in relation to reproductive health. Maternal death rates are 51.6 per 100,000 live births (1993)14, five to ten times international levels, with particularly high rural rates. A high percentage of maternal deaths are due to abortion complications (29.4%), haemorrhagia (13.8%) and toxaemia (12%) of which 60% are believed to be avoidable. Access to birth control is still a major issue and abortion, following clandestine traditions
established during the pro-natalist policy of the Stalinist era, remains the major form of contraception."

Document(s): WHO: Health Care Systems in Transition: The Russian Federation

1998 - Source:

WHO: Health Care Systems in Transition: Russian Federation ("WHO: Health Care Systems in Transition: The Russian Federation") [ID 11986]

Information on the Russian primary and public health care, secondary, tertiary and social care

Document(s): WHO: Health Care Systems in Transition: The Russian Federation