Access to Healthcare: Russia in the European Context

Abstract

The present article investigates access to healthcare in Russia and the EU countries. Indicators to access include healthcare coverage, private medical care expenses, the geographic distribution of doctors, and unmet health care needs. A comparative analysis of access to medical services in Russia and European countries on the basis of these indicators leads to a number of conclusions. Firstly, Russia, like in the vast majority of European countries, has achieved universal (or near-universal) healthcare coverage. On the other hand, the basic package guaranteed by state healthcare is insufficient for the needs of the population. This is evidenced by the significant increase over the past fifteen years of private medical care expenses among the Russian population, while in most EU countries this has remained stable. Secondly, the geographic distribution of doctors in Russia is such that the provision of doctors in cities far exceeds that of rural areas, while in the countries of the European Union there is a more even distribution of medical personnel. Thirdly, the optimization of human resources for health care, conducted in recent years, does not lead Russia to the average European level. The unsatisfactory organization of medical care for rural areas reduces access to medical services for rural residents. Reports of assessing the unmet healthcare needs of Russian and European citizens show that the proportion of those in Russia who cannot access health care due to problematic transport accessibility or financial reasons is many times higher than the developed countries of Europe.