The Moscow Regional Duma plans to address Mikhail Mishustin, Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation, with a proposal to modernize the licensing system for private medical organizations. The initiative, presented by Andrei Golubev, chairman of the Committee on Social Policy and Health, calls for the introduction of a separate licensing category for the procedure of artificial termination of pregnancy, thereby excluding it from the general profile of obstetrics and gynecology.
According to Golubev, this measure aims to regulate the activities of private clinics, which have focused primarily on abortions to the detriment of comprehensive gynecological care.
Statistical data provided by the committee reveal a significant decrease in the number of abortions in state medical institutions in the Moscow region, which has fallen 4.5 times over the past seven years compared to 2017. In contrast, the private sector has seen the opposite trend, with the number of procedures increasing by 3.7 times.
Currently, 222 private medical organizations and 51 state institutions in the region hold licenses for abortions. However, there are essential differences in the conditions under which these procedures are performed. In state clinics, abortions are conducted in a hospital setting with access to intensive care, while 96.4% of private organizations carry out procedures on an outpatient basis, lacking the capability to provide emergency intensive care, according to the committee.
Moreover, many private clinics operating outside the compulsory health insurance system do not report to the regional Ministry of Health. This lack of reporting hampers efforts to monitor compliance with clinical recommendations and mandatory preventive measures related to abortions, as mandated by Russian legislation.
