The Russian Healthcare System and the World-First Covid-19 Vaccine Sputnik V

초록

Russia performed healthcare reform for all citizens. The core of the Russian healthcare reform is to shift from government-controlling, centralized, and hierarchical healthcare provisions to decentralized and insurance-based healthcare system. The outbreak of Covid-19 reveals realistic problems of healthcare system. Despite the invention of the world’s first Covid-19 vaccine, Sputnik V, Russia faces people’s reluctance or hesitation to get vaccinated due to distrust to the Russian healthcare system. Analyzing the existing papers and research on the Russian healthcare system, Covid-19 pandemic vaccine Sputnik V, and determinants of vaccination, this study attempted to examine the correlation between healthcare system and overlooked realistic problems as a major determinant to get vaccinated for Covid-19. The world’s first Covid-19 vaccine, Sputnik V, gained dishonor in that even the Russian citizen have reluctance or hesitation to get vaccinated due to distrust to Russia’s healthcare system and Sputnik V itself. Although Sputnik V shows relatively safe and efficient to prevent from Covid-19 infection, the critical determinant for vaccination is psychological and empirical distrust to the Russian healthcare system rather than scientific data or efficacy of Sputnik V. The negative awareness and distrust to Russia’s underdeveloped healthcare system discouraged the Russian citizens from willingly getting vaccinated. Russia has to overcome this kind of impending issues that the Russian healthcare system faces by improving the quality of healthcare system and image of Russia itself.

키워드