[The status and outlook of the training of pathologists in the RSFSR]

Pathology service in the RSFSR suffers, at present, from the lack of pathologists: only 2393 (57.3%) of 4174 positions are occupied. Particularly difficult is the situation in Eastern Siberia and Moscow where only 47.7 and 48.6% positions, respectively, are covered. Lack of professional pathologists is aggravated by an artificial decrease of positions number as compared to real need, by the increase of proportion of persons retired or those having a preretirement age (30%), by a high percentage (over 30% of positions) of persons experiencing pathology as a second profession (65% of them do not have a sufficient knowledge and practice in pathology), by a low level of medical education in general and nonsufficient promotion of pathologists (only 39.3% pathologists have attestation categories). To solve the crisis the RSFSR Ministry of Health started in 1988/89 4-year training of pathologists at the pathology chairs of the RSFSR Medical Institutes: subinternship (1 year), internship (1 year), clinical internship (2 years). The realization of this program will result in turning out of 724 pathologists by 1994. The progress in pathologists training will require the improvement of technical basis of pathology chairs and departments and solution of certain organizational problems.