OREANDA-NEWS. March 25, 2010. On 9th March 2010, the Appeal Court upheld the judgment of the Court of First Instance on legitimacy of the decision and determination of the Sverdlovsk Office of the Federal Antimonopoly Service (OFAS Russia) regarding the Government and the Ministry of Health Care of the Sverdlovsk region.

On 30th June 2009, the Sverdlovsk OFAS Russia found that the Government of the Sverdlovsk region and the Ministry of Health Care of the Sverdlovsk region violated Part 1 Article 15 of the Federal Law "On Protection of Competition" (prohibiting competition-restricting acts and actions of executive bodies).

The Government and the Ministry of Health Care of the Sverdlovsk region violated the law by restricting entry of private medical organizations to the market of medical services within the framework of the Regional Programme of mandatory medical insurance of the citizens of the Russian Federation residing in the Sverdlovsk region.

The Sverdlovsk OFAS Russia issued a determination to the Government of the Sverdlovsk region and the Ministry of Health Care of the Sverdlovsk region requesting to devise and approve the list of medical organizations participating in the Regional Programme of mandatory medical insurance for 2010 based on all valid contracts for providing medical services.

The Government of the Sverdlovsk region and the Ministry of Health Care of the Sverdlovsk region filed a lawsuit to the Arbitration Court, which dismissed the claim.

The Appeal Court also confirmed legitimacy of the decision made by the Sverdlovsk OFAS Russia on inadmissibility of restricting entry of private medical organizations to the market of medical services.

"This decision opens the prospects for developing competition among medical organizations of different forms of ownership that provide medical services under the Regional Programme of mandatory medical insurance", said Tatyana Kolotova, the Head of the Sverdlovsk OFAS Russia.