The outbreak of COVID-19 in December 2019 in Wuhan (PRC) and the subsequent global spread of the infection over several weeks, the emergence of new strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus have made significant changes in the organization and activities of healthcare systems in most countries of the world.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

Conduct an analysis of infectious disease rates, individual indicators of the state and activities of the state and municipal healthcare systems of the Russian Federation before and during the COVID-19 pandemic — in the period 2019—2020.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

As research materials, data from annual forms of federal statistical observation in the context of the Russian Federation Nos. 12, 14 and 30, as well as collections of statistical indicators of the Ministry of Health of Russia, were used. The main research methods are statistical, informational and analytical.

RESULTS

The study showed that in the period 2012—2019. Against the background of a decrease in infectious disease, the resource provision of the infectious service was gradually reduced. However, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the load on this service has increased significantly. According to the results of testing for RNA, antigen and antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in the conditions of medical organizations of the Ministry of Health of Russia in the country in 2020, about 5 million cases of COVID-19 and almost 600 thousand cases of carriage of the pathogen were registered. Against the background of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of visits to medical organizations providing medical care on an outpatient basis decreased by 17.6%, the level of hospitalization decreased by 16.0%, while the availability of beds did not change significantly, and in the structure of beds repurposed for the treatment of patients with COVID-19, more than 80% were therapeutic, surgical, neurological and gynecological beds. Against the background of a decrease in bed turnover, hospital mortality increased in a number of profiles, while mortality in infectious beds for patients with COVID-19 was at the level of the national average for the entire hospital bed stock. During the implementation of a number of measures, the decrease in the total number of nursing staff during the year was accompanied by an increase in the provision of the population with infectious disease doctors, general practitioners, anesthesiologists, resuscitators, radiologists, and epidemiologists.

CONCLUSION

In the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it is too early to draw conclusions, but, of course, the experience of combating it as part of the Russian Ministry of Health’s measures to organize medical care for the population determined the subsequent tasks for modernizing and improving the healthcare system and resource provision in terms of increasing the availability and quality of medical care.