Analysts told Izvestia that rising drug prices were putting pressuring on regional governments.
“In Russia, there is no general standard of care for cancer patients,” David Melik-Huseynov, Director of Russia’s Institute of Healthcare and Medical Management, said.
“The same drugs are needed to treat cancer, regardless of where a patient lives. But everything depends on regional budgets,” he said.
Certain regions boosted funding: noticeably in Sevastopol, where spending increased by 451 percent. The Republic of Buryatia also upped funds by 249.9 percent, while the Voronezh region increased their budget by 231.9 percent.
