The statistics passed the medical examination – Newspaper Kommersant No. 62 (7507) dated 04/11/2023

The Minister of Health of the Russian Federation Mikhail Murashko announced that the plan for covering the population with medical examinations in 2022 was overfulfilled. According to him, 68 million Russians underwent professional examinations, a third more than expected. However, the Accounts Chamber previously gave different figures – according to its data, in 2022, medical examinations covered 51 million Russians. Experts are confident that, despite discrepancies in statistics and possible registrations, the state medical examination system is important for detecting diseases at an early stage. However, it will be much more effective if the shortage of primary care doctors is eliminated, especially in the regions.

In 2022, 46% of citizens underwent medical examinations, which exceeded the planned figure by a third, Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said on Monday. According to him, about 68 million people have completed preventive measures, and 33 million of them are over 18 years old. As a result of clinical examination, over 1 million people received a diagnosis from the group of diseases of the circulatory system for the first time. Respiratory diseases were first detected in almost 200,000 people, type 2 diabetes was diagnosed in 76,000 citizens, and malignant neoplasms were found in more than 42,000 citizens (of which more than half of the cases are in the early stages) .

The minister said that by 2024, preventive examinations should cover at least 70% of Russians. For this, “the very organization of medical examination of the population today requires a significant revision, taking into account the introduction of new diagnostic technologies.” Recall that the program of free professional examinations started in 2013. Citizens between the ages of 18 and 39, inclusive, are required to have medical examination every three years, and after 40 years, it can be done annually. Citizens who have been ill with COVID-19 can undergo an in-depth examination.

“Kommersant” drew attention to the fact that the Accounts Chamber in an analytical note on the implementation of the budget of the Federal Compulsory Medical Insurance Fund published other data. According to her statistics, in 2022, 51.273 million people underwent medical examinations (including 21.4 million children and 7.1 million people over 65). This is only 35.3% of the country’s population, while the target for 2022 was 53.5% – 80 million people, the auditors said. They recalled that in November, before summing up the results of the year, the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation proposed changing the target indicator for medical examination coverage to 35.6%. Whether such changes were eventually made, the Accounts Chamber did not specify.

Note that the Ministry of Health has already adjusted coverage rates in 2020-2021, when preventive activities were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was originally planned that 66.2 million people would undergo examinations in 2021, then the bar was lowered to 33 million people, and as a result, 50.6 million people reported.

In 2018 and 2019, the Health Foundation, using the Doctor’s Handbook mobile application, conducted a survey of doctors about whether they trust the data of the Ministry of Health on medical examinations. In 2018, 72% of respondents did not believe the ministry’s figures on professional examinations of Russians, and 37% of respondents heard about cases of doctors filling out medical examination sheets without patients. In 2019, 74% of respondents did not trust official statistics, and 40% knew about postscripts. At the same time, more than half (52%) indicated the lack of monetary motivation among the doctors involved in medical examinations.

Nevertheless, the data of the Russian Ministry of Health confirm the importance of conducting scheduled health checks for the early detection of various diseases, including cancer, said Konstantin Tikhomirov, general director of the Tinkoff Family Foundation. As part of the cancer awareness program for primary care physicians, which is being implemented by the foundation, experts constantly say that the diagnosis and treatment of cancer is an equal responsibility of doctors and patients who must seek help in time. “Unfortunately, in 2022, according to the Ministry of Health, only 35% of Russian residents underwent medical examinations. And 70% of the population is a good goal,” continues Mr. Tikhomirov. “However, here we must closely monitor that the quality does not suffer because of the quantity, and medical examination does not become a reporting formality.”

Guzel Ulumbekova, head of the Higher School of Organization and Management of Healthcare, names the reason why this can happen: “Prophylactic medical examination, of course, is an important story. But in order for a polyclinic doctor to be able to effectively conduct medical examinations and monitor patients who have already been identified at the site, the shortage of primary care doctors must first be eliminated. This is especially true for small towns and rural areas.

The All-Russian Union of Patients (VSP) believes that clinical examination should be “all-out”. “This creates an opportunity to monitor citizens with chronic diseases, to detect such diseases in a timely manner, which means reducing the mortality rate and improving the quality of life,” says Yan Vlasov, co-chairman of the SCJ. At the same time, it is necessary to integrate remote monitoring of the patient’s condition and other modern technologies into the medical examination system. This, the expert believes, will allow, among other things, to “level” the problem of a shortage of doctors and increase the availability of medical care for patients.

Natalia Kostarnova