How healthcare laws to change in 2020
Psychiatrist, State Duma Deputy Boris Mendelevich about innovations awaiting Russian medicine
New laws in the field of health care are coming into force in Russia with the beginning of the new year. Russian State Duma Deputy, Doctor of Medical Sciences, psychiatrist Boris Mendelevich tells about the main changes in his column for Realnoe Vremya.
The health sector has changed significantly in recent years. And this year will not be an exception. In my opinion, the main focus is on primary care. The salaries of medical workers will increase, and medical care will become faster.
Oncology
The innovations in 2020 have affected oncology at a high level. This is one of the fastest-growing areas. This year, patients are to receive more effective treatment, which means that the chances of recovery are also growing. In particular, the time between the initial suspicion of cancer and the initial appointment with an oncologist is reduced from 5 to 3 days. The appointment for CT scans for cancer patients will be carried out for a maximum of 4 days (previously it was 14). The list of expensive chemotherapeutic drugs has been increased (the patient will have the opportunity to receive at least six courses of chemotherapy instead of three or four). Eighteen new methods of high-tech care for cancer have been introduced (conformal and stereotactic radiation therapy has been included in the list for the first time).
The waiting period for specialized medical care has changed: now patients will wait 14 days for the start of planned treatment in the hospital, and if they suffer from cancer — then 7 days.
According to government decree no. 1940 as of 30.12.2019, health workers who find cancer in patients will receive bonuses. For each identified case, 1,000 rubles will be allocated. Half of them will be received by the doctor who performed the examination, and the other half — by all other participants in the process who prescribed tests and carried out examinations.
Drug provision
The list of vital and essential medicines has become longer by 23 positions, now it contains 758 items (in 2019, there were 735). Restrictions on prescribing a single drug have been lifted by the decision of the medical commission. Among the new drugs are antitumor, antibiotics and antifungal agents, four drugs for bronchial asthma, drugs for the treatment of hepatitis C and rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, excess growth hormone, psoriasis, schizophrenia, and for diagnostic procedures (MRI).
The introduction of a tax deduction for any medications purchased by a doctor's prescription has become an important step. Previously, the tax deduction for expenses on medicines was carried out only if the drugs or active substances were mentioned in the list from the government decree No. 201. If the active substance was not there, drug expenses could not be deducted.
Federal law No. 147-FZ as of 17.06.19 amended the article 219 of the Tax Code. However, to get a tax deduction, one must meet a number of conditions. In particular, you must be a resident of Russia (that is, a citizen and permanently reside here), have income taxed by personal income tax at the rate of 13%. At the same time, you must pay for medicines from your own funds, and the expenses must be confirmed by documents.
In total, 177 billion rubles are provided for drug provision in the 2020 budget.
Consent of the patient
The amendments to the article 20 of Law No. 323-FZ have been in effect since 2020. Now doctors can provide medical care on the basis of the point 9 without the patient's consent, if the intervention is performed for emergency reasons, in relation to dangerous persons with mental disabilities or who have already committed crimes.
It is also allowed to conduct forensic medical, including psychiatric examination. These amendments do not apply to emergency physicians. They must continue to provide assistance only with the consent of the patient or their legal representative.
Salaries of medical workers
Starting from 1 January 2020, and following the results of the first quarter, starting from 1 April 2020, the salary of medical workers has gradually increased. According to a decree of the president of Russia, the salaries for junior and middle staff of medical workers of the Russian Federation are reviewed based on the average salary by 100%, and if there is higher education — by 200%. The calculation of wages is described in the decree of the government No. 1910 as of 27.12.2019.
In my opinion, these are the main changes in the legislation in the field of health care. Huge resources have been allocated for their implementation. It is very important that people know about their rights and get decent help!