An Interview on Medical Service in Russia

(C - correspondent, M - Minister of Public Health and Social Development of Russia)

С: Good morning! May I come in?

M: Of course! Come in, please. Sit down. What can I do for you?

C: Let me introduce myself. I am a correspondent of a new Russian journal «Medicine in Our Life». I know that being the Minister you have the most comprehensive information about medical service in our country. So I'd like to ask you some questions about medicine in Russia.

M: Well, I'll answer your questions with pleasure.

C: All right, let's start then. First of all I'd like to know something about the structure and organization of medical service in our country. Who manages the medical service?

M: The management of medical service is carried out by the Ministry of Public Health and Social Development, Regional Health Departments, City Health Departments, District Health Departments. There are also District Doctors-in-Charge and a Sanitary Doctor-in-Charge in every region.

C: And I wonder, what main groups can you differentiate among the public health institutions?

M: We differentiate such groups as curative-prophylactic institutions, sanitary-prophylactic institutions, institutions of forensic medical examination and pharmaceutic institutions.

С: Please, would you be so kind as to tell me about curative-prophylactic institutions in detail?

M: Of course. Curative-prophylactic institutions include hospitals, dispensaries, ambulatory-polyclinic institutions, institutions of the first medical aid and blood transfusion, mother-and-child health institutions and sanatorium-resort institutions.

C: I see. And what about the sanatorium-resort institutions? As far as I know most of the sanatoriums and prophylactoriums are closed now or they are too expensive.

M: How perfectly right you are! It's really so. But there is nothing to be done with it. We haven't got enough money to organize the work of the sanatoriums for people who really need it. But this problem is being solved at the present moment.

C: Now I wonder if our system of medical service differs from the ones in other countries, for example, in the USA or Great Britain.

M: It's a very interesting question. Of course, our system differs from the ones in other countries. First of all, our people are screened yearly to detect the slightest disorders at the early stage of disease and thus to prevent its development.

C: I am sorry for interrupting you, but my view of it is that on the one hand it's a mere formality, but on the other hand it's really useful sometimes. And now I'd like to put a question about the pay for medical aid. What can you say about it?

M: Well, it's the second difference between our systems. As you know a great number of various kinds of commercial diagnostic and consulting centres have appeared. But, still every citizen can receive medical aid free of charge at the local institutions of public health.

C: I understand. But what about compulsory medical insurance? I am not clear on this point either! Why do we have to use such a system?

M: It's really a difficult question. You know there are new medical methods, modern medical equipment, which we have to buy for our hospitals and polyclinics. But all modern equipment is very expensive. In addition we have to pay money to our doctors. And our country hasn't got the opportunity to have medical service free of charge. I know it's difficult to substitute the existing free medical service for paid service. But I think we can try!

C: I am sorry, but I doubt that it will be a success.

M: Well, no one can say for certain. But we are doing our best. And I hope it might be effective.

C: As far as I see our medicine faces a lot of problems. And I think the next one is the problem of the quality of our specialists training. What can you say about it?

M: Well, what can I say... One of our tasks is the training of well-qualified family doctors who are experts in up-to-date methods of examination and techniques of treatment. And now we have many highly-qualified specialists able to manage patients, rendering them necessary medical aid.

C: I hope so too. Now I'd like to know your opinion about advertising new remedies and items of hygiene which has become common practice.

M: Well, it seems to me it’s rather useful, because our citizens can find out something new about new drugs. And now they can buy these drugs in each chemist's. In addition to this, a year ago we could see commercials devoted to vaccination on TV. I think, it helped our doctors in vaccinating children and adults for poliomyelitis, hepatitis and other dangerous diseases.

С: It's really so. I agree with you. You know, thanks to our talk it was very interesting for me to get answers to some of my questions. And finally, would you tell me about your plans for the future?

M: Well, I think, at first we have to solve the numerous problems we have just discussed and the problems connected with the implementation of the new national projects in Russia.

С: Just so. And as a conclusion, I'd like you to wish something to our readers.

M: Oh, it'll be my pleasure. I want to advise them to go in for sports, keep good health and follow the proverb: "An apple a day keeps the doctor away"!

C: Oh, thank you ever so much. You’ll be able to read this interview in our journal this month. Good luck to you. Good-bye.

M: Thanks. Good-bye.