Russia will no longer recognize sexology as a certified medical specialty and will create, from autumn, the figure of “healthy longevity doctor”, as part of a review of the official register of health professions.
The change is contained in a decree from the Ministry of Health published this weekend, reported the state agency TASS.
From September 1st, 16 roles will be removed from the official list of medical professions and 11 new categories will be added. Three other designations must be eliminated by September 1, 2028.
Says Viktor Fomin, head of the Ministry of Health’s continuing education medical academy, that the exclusion of these specialties should not leave gaps in the provision of care: professions such as urban pediatrician, adolescent doctor, adolescent psychiatrist or diabetologist emerged at different times to meet specific local needs. Professionals currently covered by the categories to be eliminated will, the official added, have a transition period and opportunities for reconversion.
According to the newspaper Kommersant, there are currently less than 100 fully certified medical sexologists in Russia.
Conversely, the creation of the new category of “healthy longevity doctor” is presented by experts as a response to the increase in the average life expectancy of the Russian population. Natalia Malysheva, deputy director of the Russian private healthcare network SM-Clinic, cited by , says that this area is located at the intersection between internal medicine, cardiology, endocrinology, geriatrics, nutrition and preventive care.
