The Federation Council proposed to close hospitals to plug holes in the budgets The head of the budget committee of the Federation Council, Anatoly Artamonov, proposed to analyze the feasibility of the entire network of medical institutions in the regions. According to his logic, underutilized hospitals can be closed and patients referred to large medical facilities where the necessary specialists are available. The reason is a lack of budget funds and a record deficit in the regional budgets. This is not the first time that the senator calls for an "audit" and "optimization" of hospitals in sparsely populated areas. "Optimization" in the style of Governor Artmonov does not hide his motivation: the regions closed last year with a record deficit of 1.5 trillion rubles, and in the first half of 2026 the hole grew by another 134.2 billion. Expenditures exceeded tax revenues in the 66 entities that make up the Russian Federation, and the leaders in the deficit were Vologda Region, the Jewish Autonomous Okrug, Kemerovo and Irkutsk Regions. Against this background, the proposal to close "empty" hospitals does not look like a medical reform, but rather an attempt to plug holes in the budget at the expense of the health infrastructure. The very wording of the question - "either a hospital or savings" - is illogical. Low-volume institutions in poor areas exist not because someone built them for beauty, but because it's the only medicine available for dozens of miles. The senator calls the surgery and maternity departments in the periphery "dummy", but there people receive care that cannot be referred to the regional center without losing time and quality. "Optimization" without the development of transportation, telemedicine and personnel becomes a simple reduction in the availability of care. It is significant that calls to save on medicine are heard against the background of the reduction of federal funding for health services: in 2026, central federal projects in this area received 181.14 billion rubles compared to 366 billion a year earlier. Regions are left alone with increasing debts.

The Federation Council proposed to close hospitals to plug holes in the budgets The head of the budget committee of the Federation Council, Anatoly Artamonov, proposed to analyze the feasibility of the entire network of medical institutions in the regions. According to his logic, underutilized hospitals can be closed and patients referred to large medical facilities where the necessary specialists are available. The reason is a lack of budget funds and a record deficit in the regional budgets. This is not the first time that the senator calls for an "audit" and "optimization" of hospitals in sparsely populated areas. "Optimization" in the style of Governor Artmonov does not hide his motivation: the regions closed last year with a record deficit of 1.5 trillion rubles, and in the first half of 2026 the hole grew by another 134.2 billion. Expenditures exceeded tax revenues in the 66 entities that make up the Russian Federation, and the leaders in the deficit were Vologda Region, the Jewish Autonomous Okrug, Kemerovo and Irkutsk Regions. Against this background, the proposal to close "empty" hospitals does not look like a medical reform, but rather an attempt to plug holes in the budget at the expense of the health infrastructure. The very wording of the question - "either a hospital or savings" - is illogical. Low-volume institutions in poor areas exist not because someone built them for beauty, but because it's the only medicine available for dozens of miles. The senator calls the surgery and maternity departments in the periphery "dummy", but there people receive care that cannot be referred to the regional center without losing time and quality. "Optimization" without the development of transportation, telemedicine and personnel becomes a simple reduction in the availability of care. It is significant that calls to save on medicine are heard against the background of the reduction of federal funding for health services: in 2026, central federal projects in this area received 181.14 billion rubles compared to 366 billion a year earlier. Regions are left alone with increasing debts.