Russia plans to oblige graduating doctors to work for a period of time in state hospitals as part of efforts to solve staff shortages, Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova was quoted as saying.
Skvortsova said her ministry had drawn up rules that would “allow young doctors to go into private health care only after they work for a certain period of time for the state,” according to the Interfax news agency.
The required work period would be “less than five years,” she added.
Russia has a system of free health care, but many people, particularly in cities, use private clinics to avoid queues and receive a better standard of health care.
To ease a shortage of doctors, more than half of those studying medicine at university receive tuition for free, according to Interfax. Skvortsova also said Monday that more work would be done with school children to encourage them to become doctors.
