Healthcare Law

Healthcare law in Russia is an area of law that regulates healthcare and health insurance, in other words, all relationships that arise during organisation and provision of, and payment for, medical care.

Healthcare laws regulate relationships between the patient, medical personnel, healthcare providers, health insurers, policy holders, the healthcare ministry and committee, licensing and certification bodies, medical associations, and control bodies, such as trade unions, consumer protection societies and the antitrust committee.

The Russian Federation sets healthcare standards obligatory for both public and private medical institutions.

The government controls the activities of healthcare providers by establishing a list of necessary permits (licenses, certificates and doctors' diplomas and certificates), conducting certification procedures and establishing a list of supervisory bodies.

The Russian Government has set the rules of providing healthcare services to foreign nationals on the Russian territory.

Critical care to foreigners on the Russian territory must be provided immediately and free of charge. This type of care must be provided by medical institutions if the patient is in a "condition which poses an immediate life threat or requires urgent medical intervention (consequences of accidents, injuries, poisonings)," says the document.

After recovery from one of the aforementioned conditions, the patient may be given normal medical care. This will be provided for a fee, the document says.

Normal medical care is provided under a medical care contract or compulsory health insurance policy (pursuant to Russian Government Resolution titled, Health Insurance of Foreign Nationals Temporarily Staying in the Russian Federation and Foreign Nationals When Leaving the Russian Federation).

To receive normal medical care, a foreign national has to provide the medical institution with the necessary medical documents, such as an extract from the case history, clinical, X-ray, laboratory, etc. test data, a guarantee that the actual fees will be paid or covered and a prepayment.

Russian law currently lacks clear regulation of healthcare or uniform standards for medical care.

This results in numerous irregularities and even bodily harm of varying degrees of severity cased by medical error or negligence on the part of medical personnel.

One who attempts to protect their rights on their own, without specialised knowledge of the field, will find that their efforts are time-consuming and unproductive.

The healthcare reform is under way, which means new principles, new peculiarities and new problems are arising all the time. You may lose the chance to protect your lawful interests if you fail to resolve these in time.

Our lawyers have expertise and skills in judicial and out-of-court resolution of disputes related to provision of medical services to foreigners. Come to us for quick, high-quality professional advice and any help you may require.