Primary care specialists are becoming increasingly rare in our country. As a result of all-Russian monitoring, the three most scarce specialties were identified. An expert from the Popular Front spoke about this in an interview with Reedus. Analytics”, head of the department for monitoring the implementation of priority decisions and national projects of the executive committee of the Popular Front, Dmitry Tsvich.
“In terms of shortages in hospitals, the neurologist has been “leading” for two years in a row. In Russia, it very often happens that a patient is advised to visit an endocrinologist – but he is not there, he simply is not there. In our study, the endocrinologist takes a confident second place. In third place, according to analytics, is the local therapist,” the expert said.
In 2022, 34% of respondents reported a shortage of neurologists, and in 2023 – 32%. The difference is insignificant, which indicates a catastrophic shortage of neurologists in Russia.
Second place is occupied by endocrinologists: for two years in a row, 33% of Russians have noted the absence of this specialty in their hospitals. This situation has become common.
In third place are local therapists. According to the expert, the situation has improved slightly compared to 2022, but there is still an acute shortage of such specialists.
Cardiologists and ophthalmologists do not appear in the ranking, although their shortage is also noticeable in Russian hospitals, judging by the results of the study.
“Every year we notice that patients encounter problems when making an appointment with a doctor: 77% of respondents in 2023 reported problems. The main reason for dissatisfaction is the lack of the right specialist, the lack of coupons for an appointment or an inconvenient date for a visit,” explained Tsvich.
The expert said that when compiling the rating, analysts relied on reports from more than 17 thousand patients.
“In primary care there is a general standard indicator of the waiting time to see a specialist. It is 14 days. A specialist doctor must see a patient two weeks in advance—these standards have been established. It is these two weeks that are the starting point for researchers: whether there was a specialist, whether they waited more than 14 days,” concluded Tsvich.
Source: Rosbalt
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
