Medical staff in Chelyabinsk region surpasses 90% mark
In the Chelyabinsk Oblast, a region in Russia, efforts are being made to address healthcare staffing shortages through a multi-faceted approach. This strategy involves upgrading healthcare infrastructure, enhancing training and education pathways, and offering targeted social benefits to attract and retain medical personnel.
The regional government has invested significantly in infrastructure development, constructing and repairing numerous healthcare facilities. From 2019 to 2024, 134 new facilities were built, and 266 were repaired. An additional 98 facilities are planned for 2025, including four large district hospitals and 80 repaired rural paramedic centers.
To support workforce development, the region has opened 16 new schools and 73 kindergartens since 2019. The Professionality programme, which establishes centers combining theoretical classroom training with practical experience, aims to improve professional skills in various sectors, including healthcare.
Social incentives are also provided to young medical personnel and their families. For example, young student couples studying at vocational schools or universities with young children can receive one million rubles, which can be used for tuition or housing. This support has benefited at least 73 student families in one year.
In terms of salary, doctors in the Chelyabinsk Oblast receive a regional payment of 1 million rubles, with 1.5 million for those working in hard-to-reach areas. Mid-level medical staff earn 500,000 rubles and 750,000 in hard-to-reach areas, respectively. Some municipalities, such as the Oktyabrsky Municipal District and the city of Plast, offer additional incentives, paying newly arrived doctors 500,000 rubles and 1 million rubles, respectively.
Targeted recruitment is being implemented to strengthen the staffing potential of South Ural medicine. Programs supporting rural doctors and targeted training programs are being implemented to gradually reduce staff shortage. Reconstruction and new construction in the primary healthcare modernization project require adequate staffing.
A housing pool is being created in regional medical facilities using the regional budget for specialists relocating to small towns. The Chelyabinsk Oblast has a staffing level for doctors of over 92% and a staffing level for mid-level medical staff of over 90%.
The region has also implemented programmes like the "Zemsky Doctor" and "Zemsky Midwife," which have provided payments to over 1000 doctors and 300 paramedics since 2012. The Oktyabrsky Municipal District, Miass, and Zlatoust are among the municipalities that offer higher salaries to doctors and nurses.
The Chelyabinsk Oblast is also implementing a pilot project to upgrade the qualifications of feldshers, focusing on ear, nose, and throat and ophthalmology. This year, 53 people have been successfully working in FAPs after retraining as assistants to feldshers from various backgrounds.
Governor Alexei Teksler discussed regional healthcare issues with President Vladimir Putin in Magnitogorsk, indicating the importance of these efforts at the highest level. The combined approach of improving facilities, education, and family support represents an integrated effort to mitigate staffing shortages in the medical sector of Chelyabinsk Oblast.
[1] Source: Chelyabinsk Oblast Government Official Website
- The Chelyabinsk Oblast is focusing on mental health and wellness by implementing therapies and treatments, such as the pilot project to upgrade the qualifications of feldshers, particularly in ear, nose, and throat, and ophthalmology.
- In an effort to promote workplace wellness and attract medical personnel, the Chelyabinsk Oblast is offering targeted social benefits, including financial aid for young medical student families, higher salaries for doctors and nurses in certain municipalities, and a housing pool for specialists relocating to small towns.
- The regional government is addressing medical-conditions-related workforce shortages by offering extensive professional training and education pathways, such as the Professionality programme, and by building new healthcare facilities, repairing existing ones, and enhancing infrastructure, contributing to the overall health-and-wellness of the Chelyabinsk Oblast.
