Deputies proposed spending maternity capital on medicines and medical care for children

State Duma deputies from the factions of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and “A Just Russia – For Truth” introduced a bill to the State Duma that proposes to allow the use of maternity capital funds for a child to receive paid medical services or to purchase medications as prescribed by a doctor. They believe that such spending of maternity capital “will be the most popular and effective measure of state support for families with children,” and the adoption of the bill “will provide real assistance to parents in the treatment of children” and “will have a positive impact on the demographic development of the country.” The expert with whom Kommersant spoke believes that the initiative will replace already existing state institutions – and in such a way that the financial resources necessary for long-term investments in the living conditions of the family will be spent “for short-term goals.”

According to current legislation, parents have the right to allocate maternity capital funds – 630.4 thousand rubles. for the first child and 833 thousand rubles. on the second – for improving living conditions, for the child to receive an education, for the formation of a funded pension for the mother, for receiving a monthly payment in connection with the birth of a child until he reaches three years of age, as well as for the purchase of goods and services intended for social adaptation and integration of children into society – disabled people. At the same time, in a number of regions, indicate the author of the initiative, LDPR deputy Yaroslav Nilov and his co-authors, deputies of other factions, it is possible to allocate funds from regional maternity capital for the treatment and rehabilitation of a child. The bill proposes to establish such a possibility at the federal level. According to the document, maternity capital funds can be used to receive paid services “in any medical organization in Russia that has a license to carry out medical activities,” as well as to pay for medications prescribed by a doctor, the list of which will be determined by the government of the Russian Federation. It is also clarified that the rules for allocating maternal capital funds for such purposes will be established by the government.

Deputies propose to write into the law, as Yaroslav Nilov, head of the Duma Committee on Labor, Social Policy and Veterans Affairs, previously emphasized, that we are talking specifically about medical services and medicines prescribed by a doctor, “in order to remove all possible abuses and allow maternity capital funds to be spent on treatment outside the compulsory medical insurance framework and for the purchase of expensive drugs.” The authors of the initiative noted that such spending of maternity capital “will be the most popular and effective measure of state support for families with children,” and the adoption of the bill “will provide real assistance to parents in the treatment of children” and “will have a positive impact on the demographic development of the country.”

Director of the HSE Institute of Health Economics Larisa Popovich, commenting on the initiative, emphasizes: maternity capital is an element of social support from the state associated with providing comfortable living conditions. “And there is another state support system – this is public health care, in which colossal mechanisms have already been created to provide free medical care, and first of all, of course, to children. The state guarantee program is constantly expanding. Children under three years of age generally have the right to free medicines. And if we are talking about expensive drugs, then there is the Circle of Good Foundation. The obligations of the regions are spelled out, and for the most part they fulfill these obligations,” comments Ms. Popovich. “Therefore, I am categorically against replacing existing state institutions with private initiative. Moreover, replacing them in such a way that the financial resources necessary for long-term investments in the living conditions of the family will be spent on short-term goals. Moreover, it is unclear what medications, relying on maternity capital, they can begin to recommend to the family.”

The authors of the initiative cite as an example a situation where an urgent, expensive operation is needed, but a quota for a free operation can be waited for a very long time. To raise the necessary funds, parents are forced to turn to the media or social networks for help, the explanatory note says. A similar problem was also discussed in the “Circle of Good” fund created by the President of the Russian Federation to help children with serious and rare diseases, which also works with budget funds. To avoid the situation of double financing, the fund ultimately pays only for those types of assistance that are not financed under the compulsory medical insurance and high-tech medical care programs.

Larisa Popovich clarifies that if surgery is required for health reasons, it is done urgently, and if we are talking about planned surgical treatment, this means that doctors are sure that they can wait without harm to health. “In our country, the program of state guarantees for children’s health is, in comparison with other countries, if not redundant, then at least very complete. It seems to me that the initiative is simply populist,” concluded Ms. Popovich.

“Kommersant” sent a request to deputies of the relevant State Duma committees – on health care and family protection, issues of paternity, motherhood and childhood – but did not receive a response at the time of publication.

The Russian Ministry of Health did not comment on the initiative either.

Natalia Kostarnova