On April 3, 2024, the chairman of russia’s State Duma stated there was a shortage of 30,000 doctors with district hospitals facing a shortage of approximately 50 per cent. This is up from 26,500 in November 2023. The current shortages were attributed to some medical staff working in the private sector, and others having left the country. After the September 2022 mobilization of the russian military, doctors were explicitly warned not to leave the country. Up to 2 per cent of russian doctors and healthcare professionals left russia to avoid the draft, according to the UK Defense Intelligence.
The increased work demands from fewer available doctors has contributed to some of the further reductions. An estimate from January 2024 highlighted in the previous 15 months that the number of doctors declined by 7,500, blaming long hours and low pay. According to the Center for European Policy Analysis, to address this shortage, russia has been recruiting from African nations with little validation of qualifications apart from a self-certifying declaration.
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The major resource and financial commitment of supporting russia’s war in Ukraine is negatively affecting a range of civilian sectors that serve the russian population. The numbers of healthcare professionals in russia will continue to decrease throughout 2024. Externally sourcing medical staff with limited checks on qualifications creates the potential for clinical delivery degradation.
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