Dynamics of Rural Healthcare Infrastructure Development in the Russian Federation and Federal Districts as a Whole

Significance. In the Russian Federation, the share of the rural population is 25 % of the total population of the country and has been maintained over the past six years(2019-2024).The level of development of agriculture depends on the degree of development of rural areas and, as a result, food security of the state, the share of domestic products in the market, the speed of the import substitution process.With proper and effective use of the potential of rural areas, sustainable economic development and a high standard and quality of life of the rural population can be ensured. The government pays special attention to the development of rural healthcare. The implementation of the federal projects “Development of the primary health care system” and “Modernization of primary health care” are aimed at increasing the availability of primary health care primarily for residents living in rural areas, including in remote and small settlements. In this regard, it is interesting to analyze the rural healthcare infrastructure in the Russian Federation as a whole, as well as in the context of the country’s federal districts. Purpose. To study the resource provision of a network of rural healthcare organizations in the country and federal districts for 2018-2023. Materials and methods. Rosstat data on the population of the Russian Federation by municipalities, as well as on the number of rural and urban settlements, and the number of municipalities were used. The data from the annual reporting forms of the federal statistical office No.30 “Information on a medical organization” and No.47 “Information on the network and activities of medical organizations” for the period 2018-2023 were used. The work used content analysis, statistical and analytical methods. Results. In the Russian Federation, over the past six years (2018-2023), there has been a downward trend in the number of municipalities by 16,1% and rural settlements by 18,0%. In all federal districts, there is a similar tendency to reduce the number of municipalities and rural settlements. The network of medical organizations providing medical care to the rural population increased by 0,6%. A similar pattern of growth in the network of medical organizations providing medical care to rural populations is observed in five federal districts. The provision of rural health infrastructure facilities for 2018-2023 increased by 3,1% in the Russian Federation as a whole. A similar pattern is observed in six federal districts. Conclusion. Despite the 10,7% decrease in the number of rural settlements in the Russian Federation over 2021-2023, there is an increase in the provision of rural infrastructure facilities for 10 000 rural residents (by 0,29%) and the number of visits to secondary medical personnel by rural residents per 1000 rural population (by 3,1%).In general, the network of medical organizations providing primary health care in rural areas, including rural settlements, has been preserved. Keywords: municipality; rural settlement; network of medical organizations providing medical care to rural populations; provision of rural population with infrastructure facilities; the number of visits of secondary medical personnel by rural residents per 1000 rural population