Russia's healthcare system will be unable to reach EU standards even within the next decade, a researcher said on Thursday.
"To reach the EU level by 2020 we need to increase healthcare spending by around 15% a year," first pro-rector of the Higher School of Economics' National Research Institute Lev Yakobson said.
But that is something Russia can ill afford in the foreseeable future, he added.
"Reform without spending will simply not take off here, but a 'spending race' is beyond our power," he said.
Russia is planning to spend 460 billion rubles ($16 billion) in the next two years to turn its healthcare system around.
These funds will be raised by increasing insurance premiums from 3.1% to 5.1%.
MOSCOW, March 17 (RIA Novosti)
