Residents of the Murmansk region are complaining about delays in the distribution of subsidized medications.
In the Murmansk region, the number of complaints has increased exponentially since the launch of the "unified system for providing subsidized medications." Patients report delays in dispensing medications and prescriptions that expire before the medications are received.
Subsidized medications: the new system and the first complaints
Authorities Murmansk region Launched "a unified system for providing subsidized medicines"As a result, the number of complaints more than tripled repeatedly: people are outraged by the confusion and delays in dispensing medications.
The provision of subsidized medications was transferred from a commercial organization to state institutions, after which, as people report, obtaining vital medications turned into a "whole quest": first, you have to visit several doctors to get a prescription, and then get the medication issued.
In many cases, a prescription expires without the medication being received. Then the "quest" has to be started all over again.
Residents of the Murmansk region on the distribution of medications
The regional Ministry of Health's page is filled with dozens of angry comments:
“We made an appointment on October 06.10, received a prescription on October 16.10, and still don’t have the medicine today.”
"The endocrinologist won't prescribe insulin or other medications, but sends us to a general practitioner. The general practitioner won't prescribe them either, but sends us to the paramedic's office for medication prescriptions. The paramedic is seeing us for the first time and has no idea what the specifics of the disease are, what the dosages are, and which medications can and cannot be substituted..."
"I've called the hotline twice about getting medication for a diabetic patient. They wrote a prescription, but the medication isn't available. We're waiting for an invitation from the pharmacy. We paid for an endocrinologist appointment, and we've been buying two medications for three months now."
The Ministry of Health responds to complaints with a standard text: "We see your comment and really want to get to the bottom of this. It's crucial for us that you and your loved ones receive high-quality and timely medical care..."
Criminal cases related to drugs in other regions
Problems with subsidized medications regularly arise in various regions of Russia. For example, in March 2026, the head of the Investigative Committee Alexander Bastrykin ordered to initiate A criminal case was opened following a complaint from the mother of a 13-year-old girl with diabetes, who had been unable to obtain the necessary medication for months. Similar cases were opened this year in Sverdlovsk и Yaroslavl areas.
