The role and effects of sanatoriums and health resorts in the Russian Federation
Section snippets
Background
After the Russian revolution 1917 a number of sanatoriums, health resorts and other facilities were established — mostly on the earlier estates of landlords or noblemen — for health improvement of the working population and their families. During the period of the Soviet Union, these facilities were further developed as an important part of the state system of social protection, and expanded into a nation-wide network of sanatoriums, health resorts and children's summer camps. Most of these
Methods and data
This article is based on three different sources of empirical data. The first source is a number of interviews with leading officials on the federal level of the Social Insurance Fund, the Compulsory Health Insurance Fund, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Labour and Social Development. In addition, interviews were also made with leaders of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions, the Russian Union for Entrepreneurs and Employers, and the All-Russian Association of Privatised and
Development of the system
In 1919, the Russian system of sanatoriums and health resorts was established as a state-run system by a government decree ‘on curative areas of state importance’. The main idea was that a combination of rest and natural therapeutic factors can have a great effect on the improvement of the health of the working population. There was a distinction in this connection between health resorts, which were focusing on recreation and prophylactics, and sanatoriums, which could also give medical
Treatments provided
In all the sanatoriums studied there was a combination of medical treatment and different prophylactic activities, which means that these facilities are functioning both as sanatoriums and health resorts. As earlier mentioned, in the Russian system there is a distinction between sanatoriums and health resorts, which means that medical treatment is reserved for the sanatoriums, while the health resorts are focusing on recreation and prophylactics. The Russian term ‘revalidation’ is often used to
Effects of the treatment
As regards the effects of the prophylactic treatment, there have not been any systematic evaluations so far. The different sanatoriums and health resorts have been evaluated mainly through individual feedback from the patients, and through the number of vouchers continuously bought from them. In all the sanatoriums studied, the personnel think and believe that they are doing a good and useful work with their patients. Officials from the local branches of the Social Insurance Fund are also
Role in the society
As a result of the historical development, the prophylactic activities of sanatoriums and health resorts are regarded mainly as a responsibility for the social insurance of the Russian Federation, and the Social Insurance Fund is, therefore, financing these activities to a large extent. In fact, prophylactic treatment accounts for the second largest costs of the fund after the sickness benefits. Around 25% of its total resources are spent on buying vouchers to sanatoriums, health resorts and
Concluding remarks
The system of sanatoriums and health resorts that has been developed in Russia during the last 80 years provides millions of people every year with prophylactic treatment in order to maintain and improve their health. The statistical data together with the interviews and the observations indicate that this treatment is beneficial, both for the people and for the national economy. There seems to be a strong relationship between prophylactic treatment and the rate of temporary disability. This
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank Andrey Gudkov and Larissa Sizemova for practical assistance in connection with the data collection and constructive comments on earlier drafts of this article.
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