Russian healthcare may pose Putin problems in 2016

Subject

Russia's healthcare system.

Significance

By the end of 2017, Moscow's authorities plan to fire an additional 14,000 workers as part of the government's health reform plan, according to leaked documents seen by Russian news outlet RBC. As budgets are squeezed by the huge rearmament programme and low oil prices, the Kremlin is striving to cut expenditure, attempting to disguise this as health optimisation. Discontent is rising among medical professionals who are being over-stretched; hospitals are closing, numbers of beds decreasing and waiting lists growing. The reform of the Russian national healthcare system, undertaken in adverse economic conditions, threatens to decrease the quality and accessibility of healthcare.

Impacts

• The working population's poor health has a direct negative impact on the economy, increasing paid sick days and reducing productivity.
• Health reforms have reduced doctor-patient appointments to around 12-15 minutes.
• The population's distrust of doctors will need to be addressed to improve the quality of the healthcare.