About 33% of Russians admitted that they are experiencing difficulties with the purchase of medicine – last year this figure was 10% lower, a study conducted by the Research Institute of Public Health named after N.A. Semashko and Pharmprobeg stated.
The main purpose of the study was to study the attitude of citizens, including privileged categories, to the existing system of drug provision in Russia.
The survey involved 1,033 people from different regions – this is comparable to the number of respondents to a similar audit last year. 33% admitted that they are experiencing difficulties with the purchase of drugs – last year this figure was 10% lower.
The main problems are related to the lack of money (59%) and the lack of drug provision (41%). As for the purchase of medicines for children, difficulties arise most often due to the high cost of goods (81%).
Another important issue is problems with the quality of medicines: they occurred in 29% of respondents (last year 34% complained about this). Among them, 55% doubted the authenticity of the drugs, and 12% believed that the expiration date had expired.
As the researchers note, the majority of respondents (33%) spend up to 1999 rubles a month on drugs (last year the figure was 23%). 20% of Russians give up to 1000 and another 20% – up to 2999 rubles. 18% of respondents are forced to allocate up to 4999 rubles for medicines every month.
