Elimination of Shortage of Medical Personnel to Improve the Quality and Availability of Medical Care in Rural Areas of Russian Regions

The shortage of medical personnel, the deterioration of accessibility and the decline in the quality of medical care are the main characteristics of the health care system in rural and remote areas of all RF subjects with varying degrees of criticality. The purpose of the work is to analyze the current state of medical personnel in rural areas, identify the strengths and weaknesses of measures within the framework of federal programs aimed at solving the problem of providing personnel for rural medical institutions and identifying areas that can contribute to the improvement of current programs. In the course of the work, 8 regions were analyzed for a list of activities carried out in them, as well as expert research in the form of in-depth interviewing of 18 respondents with the aim of summarizing experience in reducing staff shortages. As a result of the study, directions for further improvement of programs and initiatives to attract and retain health workers in rural areas were identified. The main conclusion of the work is that the elimination of the shortage of medical personnel in rural and remote areas will be facilitated by the further development of competitive conditions for workers, the improvement of ongoing activities and their implementation in a single integrated development concept with the mandatory consideration of the features, needs and capabilities of each specific region of the Russian Federation.