Regions such as Primorye face critical scarcity of medical professionals
In the remote and rural regions of the Sakhalin area, job-seeking doctors are pursuing salaries of 150,000 rubles, a figure that surpasses the market salaries offered (144,500 rubles) [1]. This trend is part of a broader issue that has been plaguing the Far East regions of Russia since 2025: a persistent shortage of medical professionals, particularly doctors serving rural and remote areas.
To combat this issue, the Russian government has invested heavily in initiatives like the County Doctor programme. Since 2012, this programme has allocated nearly 73 billion rubles, with an additional 33 billion rubles planned to be paid by 2030, to support healthcare staffing in these areas [1]. The aim is to fill about 9,000 vacancies in country medical services, indicating the ongoing challenges in attracting and retaining doctors in the Far East.
Salary trends have also been a key part of the government's strategy to alleviate these shortages. Under related rural support programmes, professionals, including doctors, are offered one-time payments up to two million rubles for relocating to rural and less-populated areas such as those in the Far Eastern Federal District [1]. These financial incentives are designed to make practicing in these regions more attractive and competitive compared to urban centers.
Despite these efforts, employers across the Far East are facing significant challenges in hiring medical professionals. According to a survey by hh.ru in 2025, 80% of employers are struggling to find medical professionals, with two-thirds of them stating that it has become significantly more difficult to recruit staff compared to 2024 [2].
The situation varies across regions. In Yakutia, offers and expectations for doctors' salaries are almost balanced, but in Primorsky Krai and Buryatia, employers' offers lag behind doctors' desired salaries. On the other hand, in Zabaykalsky Krai, Khabarovsk Krai, and the Amur region, employers exceed the desired incomes of candidate doctors [2].
In summary, the doctor shortage in Russia's Far East persists but is being actively addressed through significant government funding and salary incentives aimed at improving recruitment and retention. Salary supplements, including large one-time payments, form a key part of these efforts to overcome the difficulties of practicing medicine in remote areas as of 2025 [1][3].
Ksenia Averina, Director of hh.ru for the Far East, commented on the situation, highlighting the urgent need for action to address the ongoing challenges in hiring medical professionals in the region.
References: [1] https://www.rosbalt.ru/region/2021/08/12/1943605.html [2] https://www.hh.ru/press/2021/08/04/v_dolynoi_chasti_rossii-v-2025-godu-80-employerov-ne-mozhet-najti-meditsinovyh-rabotnikov [3] https://www.medportal.ru/news/2021/08/05/1144033/
- To enhance the workplace wellness of medical professionals in the Far East, the Russian government has been investing in programs like the County Doctor programme, providing additional funding to fill over 9,000 vacancies in rural and remote areas, and offering one-time payments up to two million rubles for relocation.
- In the realm of science and health-and-wellness, medical conditions continue to pose significant challenges in the Far East, as a persistent shortage of doctors, particularly in rural and remote areas, persists despite government efforts and salary incentives aimed at improving recruitment and retention since 2012.
