Emergency Medicine in Russia,

Russia has undergone sweeping political and social reforms within the past 5 years. The economic and social reforms heralded by the “new openness” of perestroika have led to a restructuring of medicine as well. Changes include the emergence of “for profit” organizations and acute care facilities, the introduction of private health insurance, modifications in the medical education system, and realignment of health priorities with a new trend toward primary care. [Townes DA, Lee TE, Gulo S, VanRooyen MJ: Emergency medicine in Russia. Ann Emerg Med August 1998;32:239-242.]