Have Healthcare Reforms in Russia Reduced Queues to a Doctor?

Queues to a doctor have been a serious problem for the state healthcare system in Russia for a long time. In order to address this problem, the government has already been initiating various measures to reduce the waiting time for healthcare for ten years, regardless of the socioeconomic status of the patient. This article attempts to assess the dynamics of the typical waiting time for healthcare from 2011 to 2018 and the relationship between this indicator and the socioeconomic status of the patient. In case of a reduction of waiting time for a doctor, it is important that this effect spreads to all patients regardless of their socioeconomic status. In order to solve this problem we use the microlevel data of the Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions of the Population, collected by the official statistics authorities, and analyze them using statistical and econometric tools. The results show that the average and median time to book a doctor visit and waiting time for a doctor in outpatient care institutions have been reduced. At the same time, in 2011, there was no significant relationship between waiting time for a doctor and the socioeconomic status of an individual, but from 2016 this relationship has emerged. In particular, people with higher education and a high level of income began to get to the doctor faster, ceteris paribus. Thus, despite the positive outcome of the healthcare reforms in terms of time spent on booking a visit and waiting for health services, not all population groups are equally likely to feel this effect. This fact shows the limited success of healthcare reforms in 2011–2018 and the need to simplify access to health services for all people, regardless of education and income.

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