Predominantly single-channel funding of healthcare institutions: experience of the Republic of Tatarstan

Abstract

In accordance with the Constitution of Russian Federation, the state guarantees health protection and access to free medical care in state healthcare institutions to each citizen. The questions of healthcare funding in Russia seem to be a topic of interest, especially considering the ongoing conversion to predominantly single-channel funding of healthcare institutions. Despite the lengthy discussions about the pros and cons of that system, experts have not come to a consensus about the need for universal introduction of predominantly single-channel funding of public healthcare institutions so far. The article reviews the experience of predominantlysingle-channel funding of healthcare institutions introduction and realization in the Republic of Tatarstan. The differentiation of funding duties in the region was studied; the ratio of funding sources of the Program of state guarantees for access to free-of-charge medical aid for Russian citizens was analyzed. The analysis showed that switching to predominantly single-channel funding of healthcare institutions does not lead to a major changes in healthcare funding system of Russian Federation and does not contribute to the immediate solution of the existing problems.