Features of staffing of medical institutions of the state healthcare system in the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus

Introduction. The shortage of medical personnel is a global problem. But it is the personnel that ultimately determines the effectiveness of all transformations in the industry. In many ways, the personnel situation in the country’s healthcare is determined by the specifics of legal regulation of issues of training, selection, and retention of medical personnel.

The purpose of the study: to identify the features of staffing of medical institutions of the state healthcare system of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus.

Materials and methods. The study is based on a retrospective analysis of the staffing of medical institutions of state health care systems of the Russian Federation, subjects of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus based on official statistical data for the period of 2018–2023. Methods of analytical, comparative analysis, statistical.

Results. Disproportions and imbalances in the staffing of primary care in both countries were revealed; the ratio of doctors and mid-level medical personnel did not correspond to the WHO recommendation, a comparable level of the coefficient of part-time work of doctors, classification of anesthesiology and resuscitation as a shortage specialty. In the Republic of Belarus, higher indicators of provision with medical personnel with positive trend, staffing of full-time medical positions were noted.

Research limitations. The research materials are limited to the results of the analysis of data from the federal statistical observation form N 30 for Russia, the state statistical reporting forms 1-institution (Ministry of Health) and 1-ambulance (Ministry of Health) for the Republic of Belarus.

Conclusion. The results of the study indicate the need for stricter government regulation of issues of uniform provision of regions with medical personnel, their attraction and retention.

Compliance with ethical standards. This type of research does not require review by a local ethics committee.

Contribution of the authors:
Starodubov V.I. — research concept, read and approved the final version of the submitted manuscript;
Rugol L.V. — wrote the article, statistical processing of data, compilation of a list of references;
Menshikova L.I. — design of the study, processing of material, revised the article for important intellectual content;
Semenov A.V. — collection and processing of material.
All authors are responsible for the integrity of all parts of the manuscript and approval of the manuscript final version.

Funding. The study had no sponsorship.

Conflict of interests. The authors declare the absence of any conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this paper.

Received: February 18, 2025 / Accepted: June 24, 2025 / Published: September 12, 2025

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