Yekaterinburg’s medical market turnover grew by 18.4% and came to 14.38bn RUR, RBC Market Research refers to BusinessStat as saying.

The market mainly grew due to the growing obligatory medical insurance funds budget revenues, as this is the main sector of the medical market: in 2011, 47% of the local medical service spending fell into the obligatory medical insurance sector.

In terms of physical volume, this sector’s services came to 82% of the market due to lower prices against private medical services: last year, an appointment through the obligatory medical insurance system cost 362.6 RUR, while the average market price came to 624.3 RUR. The obligatory medical insurance services are paid for by the state, this is why they are strictly controlled and described in detail in the rates agreement.

The high cost of private medical services mainly has to do with the clinics’ large cost of sales: they have to buy foreign equipment and medications, pay high salaries to skilled employees, and rent large buildings in conveniently located spots. For one, the medical worker’s pay grew by 54% between 2007 and 2011 and amounted to 232,600 RUR a year.