OREANDA-NEWS. According to the results of the joint study “Quality of Medical Services: a Request for Tight Control” made by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center and the center for social planning “Platform”, 41 % of Russian citizens do not trust in diagnosis or double-check doctor’s prescriptions.

In the cities with more than million of population, over the past three to five years, a larger number of respondents (48 %) had to double-check the diagnosis or prescribed medications in comparison with Russians from the cities with 500–950 thousand inhabitants (39 %).

More often, consultations with other specialists with the same complaints were made by respondents aged from 25 to 44 years (50 %). Trust in doctors is higher among Russians over 60 years: 73 % of them said they had a confidence in physicians.

75 % of the respondents believe that the work of medical institutions should be controlled by an independent structure, for example by an insurance company.

42 % of Russians surveyed advise a patient who fell victim to a medical error (unsuccessful operation, incorrect diagnosis, incorrect selection of medicants) to contact the prosecutor’s office. 36 % recommend contacting the head doctor of the hospital where a medical error was made. 27 % advise to write an application to the court.

Being asked what problems of the Russian health care system should be placed first, the majority of respondents (39 %) mentioned a shortage of doctors. 33 % believe that the problem of a lack of modern equipment is the main. Every fourth Russian citizen is sure that the primary problem that needs to be solved is the inaccessibility of medical care (inconvenient location of hospitals, expensive medications and services).