On Tuesday, the Russian State Duma approved a draft law according to which new graduates of medical schools will be obliged to work in state hospitals and clinics for three years. The goal is to alleviate the chronic shortage of personnel in the Russian public health sector, writes TASR according to the Moscow Times website.
- The Russian State Duma approved a mandatory three-year mentoring period for graduates.
- The aim of the law is to solve the shortage of medical personnel in hospitals.
- The Ministry of Health will determine who will be affected by the measure.
- Graduates who refuse face fines and suspension of accreditation.
- The law is to enter into force on March 1, 2026.
The bill in part revives the Soviet-era practice of “places” in state or municipal clinics financed by the compulsory health insurance system. The Ministry of Health will decide which graduates will be affected, as well as the period of their “mentorship”.
The chairman of the State Duma (lower house of the parliament) Viačeslav Volodin recalled that the current hospital staff is overworked and the number of patients exceeds recommended standards. He said that at the beginning of 2025, Russia lacked approximately 23,300 doctors and 63,600 mid-level health workers.
Graduates who refuse the “mentorship” period face fines, depending on how their education is financed. If their medical school tuition was paid in exchange for a guaranteed period of public service, they will have to pay additional tuition costs to the school and pay an additional fine of 200 percent. Self-paying and other graduates may have their medical accreditation suspended.
If the draft law is approved by the Federation Council (the upper house of the Russian parliament) and signed by President Vladimir Putin, will take effect on March 1, 2026 and will apply to next year’s graduates.
Independent journalist Farida Rustamova referred to the statements of two deputies that the proposed job requirements may discourage young health workers from fulfilling their mentoring duties, especially in remote areas. Housing and other forms of support are not guaranteed in the bill. In Soviet times, graduates of medical faculties had to work in specific hospitals or clinics for three to five years.
