UK intelligence: Russia faces shortage of medical workers due to war

Almost two years of Russian aggression against Ukraine has likely led to a shortage of medical workers throughout Russia, the UK intelligence report states.

After another wave of mobilization in September 2022, medical workers were warned not to leave the country.

Up to 2% of doctors fled Russia to avoid conscription. 3,000 medical workers were probably mobilized to provide medical care during the hostilities.

In November 2023, the Russian Ministry of Health stated that the medical sector lacks approximately 26,500 doctors and 58,200 nurses.

Russia experiences a significant shortage of doctors in 22 regions.

According to an estimate for January 2024, the number of doctors in Russia has decreased by 7,500 over the previous 15 months. Many blame this on long working hours and low salaries.

"The heavy resource and financial burden of supporting Russia's war in Ukraine is having a negative impact on a number of civilian sectors that serve the Russian population. There is no indication that the downward trend in the number of healthcare workers in Russia will reverse during 2024."

As ISW has previously noted, since the State Duma plans to raise the conscription age in Russia, this indicates that the Kremlin does not plan to conduct a full mobilization.