Russia cuts key health programs as war spending tops 40% of budget

Russian authorities have significantly diminished health care funding to offset a budget deficit exacerbated by the ongoing war against Ukraine. Over 40% of all government spending is now directed towards the conflict. Eight of the eleven key health care development projects faced funding cuts this year, with some experiencing substantial reductions.

The project to modernize primary health care, aimed at renovating thousands of aging clinics, saw a 52% funding cut. The "Cancer Diseases" project, which included plans for regional oncology centers and cancer medicines, was slashed more than threefold, from 148.46 billion rubles to 44.9 billion rubles. The "Development of Federal Medical Organizations" project, designed to establish national centers at leading clinics, lost 38% of its funding, dropping from 26.05 billion rubles to 16.16 billion rubles.

Emergency medical services spending fell 27%, to 14.28 billion rubles. The medical rehabilitation project, supporting war-related disabilities, lost a quarter of its funding, decreasing from 18.29 billion rubles to 13.69 billion rubles. Cardiovascular disease funding was reduced by 4%, to 11.35 billion rubles, while funding for the "Medical Personnel" project fell 15%, to 0.61 billion rubles.

Only the "Health" digital platform, intended to serve as a unified medical database, received a 35% funding increase, reaching 6.48 billion rubles. Overall, federal health care projects saw a 51% funding reduction, totaling 181.14 billion rubles, down from 366 billion rubles the previous year. The state treasury urgently needs funds for military spending, which could exceed planned levels by 4 to 5 trillion rubles this year.