Marat Sadykov: “We see a certain migration of medical workers, but they, on the contrary, are also coming to us”

We reached the outskirts, new cars arrived

Tatarstan Healthcare Minister Marat Sadykov spoke about the new equipment of polyclinics and paramedic-midwifery stations, the efforts to provide primary medical institutions with qualified personnel and the features of the work of doctors in the “post-crisis” era at the briefing on 25 August in the framework of the report on the implementation of the national project Healthcare in the republic.

The minister briefly reported on the achievements — he said that the modernisation of primary care in Tatarstan medicine began in 2012, and since then only more than 2,600 paramedic-midwifery stations have been repaired and more than 500 new ones have been built. Marat Sadykov also reminded about the success of last year's new project Mobile Clinic, which last year covered more than 30,000 residents of the republic (in 2020, the continuation was prevented by the coronavirus pandemic). “One thousand and two hundred people were directed to provide high-tech assistance," the minister said.

Also, he said, with the receipt of the next batch of ambulances in 2019-2020 — 291 cars — all medical institutions of Tatarstan that provide emergency assistance to the population have been fully equipped with modern cars.

If you want to be healthy — get vaccinated!

During the speech and later, answering questions, the minister repeatedly reminded that “the coronavirus has not gone away”. Due to that we will always have to live, work, study and be treated with an eye on the danger of COVID-19, this year we've not only started early discussing but have already started vaccination. Certainly, we are not talking about a coronavirus vaccine but usual anti-influenza one.

According to Marat Sadykov, 60% of the population of the republic are to get a flu vaccine, and 70% of these patients belong to risk groups: from doctors and teachers to pensioners.

Another news announced, which Realnoe Vremya learned about in early July — is the purchase of 23,000 doses of pneumococcal vaccine — also for the risk group. It was purchased as part of a purchase with the money allocated by the government of the republic for vaccination against pertussis, meningococcus, pneumococcus and chickenpox — the total cost of all vaccines is 60 million rubles. People of the older generation will be vaccinated against pneumococcus on priority basis, and the ministry of healthcare plans to carry out this work with the involvement of social protection institutions.

Is it worth testing?

The minister answered journalists' questions about the coronavirus itself, or rather, about testing for coronavirus, rather carefully. Media representatives reminded that Moscow is conducting mass free testing of the population for COVID-19, and asked: what are our plans?

Marat Sadykov said that 50,000 tests have been purchased in the republic for a mass examination for antibodies to COVID-19, and the results of this examination will be known by September 15. He also made it clear that all patients who have symptoms similar to those of coronavirus are unlikely to be tested for free: the ministry intends to use test systems with an eye to the “feasibility of testing”.

Non-medics — as doctors

At the request of journalists, the minister explained the essence of the recently signed decree by Prime Minister of Tatarstan Aleksey Pesoshin on the appointment of payments to medical workers with non-medical higher education:

“When assigning payments, it turned out that junior medical personnel who have not been trained and do not have certificates of medical workers were taken as 'other employees'. The government of the Republic of Tatarstan and the government of the Russian Federation decided that this contingent will also be paid money for working in the “red” zone. These are, for example, engineering and other employees.

Marat Sadykov clarified that employees with secondary specialised education receive payments from the very beginning, so the resolution refers only to those who have higher but “non-core” education.

Where there are not enough doctors in the republic

When asked by Realnoe Vremya how many doctors and what specialties lack in the republic today, in which clinics, cities, districts this problem is most acute, Marat Sadykov said that the situation in different regions of the republic constantly changes. For example, in some areas, the population has decreased, but the staff schedule in the clinic has remained the same, while in others, with the same staff schedule, there are significantly more patients. As an example he cited the Pestrechinsky district, where after the commissioning of the Tsarevo housing complex, the population grew by 16,000 people at once.

“There is such an indicator — provision for 10 thousand people," the minister reminded. “So, in state institutions, this indicator is now 31, and by 2024 we should reach the provision of doctors in 34-36 per 10,000 people. However, there are a lot of private medical institutions in the republic that participate in the provision of medical services by state order. There are also many departmental institutions. Taking these factors into account, the staffing of doctors in Tatarstan corresponds to the one designated for 2024.

Doctors leave Tatarstan and go to Tatarstan

According to the minister, the department is aware of the risks of outflow of medical specialists from the republic to large agglomerations — primarily to Moscow and Moscow Oblast, mainly due to higher wages:

“At the moment, we see a certain migration, but they are also coming to us, mainly from the nearby regions of the Russian Federation, from the Volga Federal District. Thirty-two doctors and 12 paramedics came to us, and there was a leak — three doctors moved to Moscow Oblast and two paramedics to other subjects of the Volga Federal District. Mostly diagnosticians and radiotherapy specialists move to us after the modernisation of medical institutions.

Marat Sadykov also said that in 2012-2019, 629 doctors and 136 paramedics were attracted to the regions of the republic under various programmes aimed at reducing the shortage of personnel in primary care institutions. In 2020, Zemsky Doktor programme and other programmes are expected to employ 95 more doctors and 12 paramedics. He also considers housing an important factor in attracting doctors to budget rates: the minister reminded that 100 apartments have been allocated to doctors in a new house on Orenburgsky Tract commissioned at the end of 2020.

“In 2020, enrollment in medical specialties at the Kazan Federal University has doubled," said Marat Sadykov. “About 400 of our future doctors will start training on September 1.