Current state and perspectives of healthcare informatics in Russia

Huge political, economical and social changes have occurred in Russia to the current moment. These changes led to restructuring of Russian healthcare as a whole and caused new demands on healthcare informatics. The state priority program of informatics of Russian healthcare has been created by the Ministry of Health in order to respond to the new tasks. During the last years in the Russian Federation, considerable experience has been gained in the exploitation and introduction of information systems used in the working of some medical and preventive establishments and healthcare management at various levels. The break-up of the USSR in 1991 and the new political and economical situation in the country brought about a deep crisis in healthcare informatics. This crisis was caused by the necessity of restructuring the care system, the creation of new concepts of reform and corresponding new concepts of healthcare informatics.