Russia still has one of the world’s most inefficient health systems. Only the U.S., Azerbaijan and Bulgaria are worse.

The coronavirus crisis is a reminder of the human cost of a stumbling health care system https://trib.al/rx4uGG5 

Russia now has more than 290,000 Covid-19 cases and a rate of new infections that puts it second only to the U.S. — a country with more than twice as many people https://trib.al/rx4uGG5 

The rapid spread of the coronavirus has exposed a healthcare system suffering from:

Poor funding
Incomplete reforms
Missteps on drugs and medical equipment http://trib.al/rx4uGG5 

Russia was too slow to appreciate the domestic infection risk, but the medical system also stumbled.

Anecdotal evidence suggests medical staff short of PPE inadvertently made the problem worse by mixing patients and continuing to work after falling ill http://trib.al/rx4uGG5 

The healthcare system is buckling:

400 Covid-19 hotspots associated with hospitals
Thousands of medics infected
An unofficial list shows more than 220 fatalities among medics
3 doctors have fallen from hospital windows in unclear circumstances http://trib.al/rx4uGG5 

The biggest failure of Putin’s reforms may be the neglect of Russia’s regions.

Beyond the urban centers, much of the rest of the country is less well-equipped. Left by Putin to keep a lid on things locally, regional governors are struggling http://trib.al/rx4uGG5 

There are signs of hope. Russia’s testing regime has improved dramatically.

But overall the future looks grim: The recession will be the worst since the end of the Soviet period. Investment in the health of ordinary Russians is unlikely to be a priority http://trib.al/rx4uGG5