Primorye tackles medical staff shortage with new clinics and housing
Attracting personnel to the healthcare sector in Primorye Krai is one of the most important tasks. According to the Ministry of Health, as of December 1, 2025, medical institutions lack 986 medical workers.
During the «Direct Conversation» program (6+), Governor Oleg Kozhemyako explained how this issue is being addressed and what authorities are doing to attract specialists to the region.
According to Kozhemyako, authorities are actively opening departments for retraining junior medical staff into mid-level medical staff, operating within hospitals. Additionally, extra medical departments are being established at colleges, and young specialists are provided with housing after working a certain number of years.
«I know that Spassky District transfers housing directly to medical institution employees. I had such a practice on Sakhalin. I think this practice should be expanded and the housing secured,» the governor said.
Authorities are also building about eight new polyclinics, which will provide medical workers with comfortable workplaces, and graduates who become doctors are entitled to additional payments.
According to Primorye Krai«s Minister of Health Yevgeny Shestopalov, in 2025, 1,761 people enrolled in medical colleges, of which 1,465 future specialists are studying on a state-funded basis.
About 1,200 people are studying in higher educational institutions, and 333 graduated in 2025. Of these, 287 students are at the Pacific State Medical University (222 in general medicine and 65 in pediatrics), and another 46 students are at the Far Eastern Federal University.
Shestopalov also stated that staff turnover in the healthcare sector has significantly decreased thanks to mentorship. Soon, a new system will be implemented in the region, where potential mentors will be categorized through questionnaires.
The governor also reminded that Primorye participates in the social programs «Zemsky Doctor» and «Zemsky Paramedic».
The federal «Zemsky Doctor» and «Zemsky Paramedic» programs were established by Vladimir Putin in 2012 and continue to operate until 2030.
The programs involve one-time payments: up to 2 million rubles (approximately $21,100 at current rates) for doctors relocating to work in rural areas and small towns of the Far East, and up to 1 million rubles (approximately $10,500 at current rates) for mid-level specialists.
During the programs« operation, 672 doctors and 210 mid-level specialists have been employed in Primorye.
