Health and Social Development Minister Tatyana Golikova has declared a total war against medical officials taking unauthorized fees for the provision of free medical services to patients in violation of the Russian Constitution.
Henceforth, all medical personnel in state medical establishments implicated in such practices will be subject to severe punishments up to criminal prosecution. According to the ministry’s data, various estimates say up to 40% of all payments go into the ‘pockets of medical personnel’ for providing free medical services to needy patients.
One of the first steps to counteract this illegal practice is the ministerial order that calls for taking urgent measures to guaranteeing the provision of free medical aid to citizens. Specifically, this order entitles anyone, who is being illegally compelled to pay for free medical services, to report such instances to the ministry.
Golikova noted that these measures are neither merely PR-campaign moves nor temporary programs, but parts of a long-term strategy to fight all forms of illicit payments for free healthcare services in the country. “This is because free medical services should be for free and there should be no room for illegal payments in our healthcare system.”
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