Why would private investors invest in healthcare in Russia

The problem of free medical treatment has much concern in the society: citizens need affordable healthcare, but the Government talks about shortage of funds in the budget. But there is a solution — a public-private partnership. The first examples of such cooperation appeared in Moscow a few years ago, businessmen invested in such projects more often.
According to the data of BusinesStat Company, in 2015 the number of doctors who visited Moscow decreased in comparison with the 2014 year by 3.8 percent to of 172.2 million, For 2014-2015, the number of medical institutions in Moscow decreased by 5 percent (from 3338 to 3,170).
At first glance it may seem that this is not the best news for citizens. In fact, on the contrary, experts say. The quality of healthcare in the capital has increased. One of the main factors contributing to the decline in the number of visits of Muscovites to the doctors — the optimization of public medical institutions and personnel of clinics and hospitals. To increase the availability of medical care in urban clinics in 2013 there was introduced the unified medical information analysis system (UMIAS), which allows make an appointment to the doctor via the Internet. Hospitals and maternities are combined in multidisciplinary clinical centers where the patient is offered a full range of medical services.

Yet per capita funding of hospitals in the capital for five years rose more than 20 percent. Moscow polyclinics are now funded at about 60 billion rubles a year, said in November 2016 the head of the Healthcare Department of Moscow Alexey Khripun. Earlier Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported that the authorities have engaged in the creation and development of specialized "infarction" and "stroke" networks, purchased additional equipment.
Experts predict that in perspective positive impact on the growth of the capital healthcare market will render the creation of the international medical cluster on the territory of the "Skolkovo" innovation center. This will reduce the flow of medical tourism abroad — the Russians will be able to visit foreign clinics in Moscow. It is expected that the first foreign clinic in the cluster will be opened by 2018.
Medicine within walking distance
In the West public-private partnerships in healthcare is a common practice. Such projects are gradually gaining popularity in Russia. Of the most striking examples is the launch of the program "1 ruble per 1 square meter", which received in healthcare the title "Doctor is near". This is a pilot project of organizing the offices of General practitioners working within the CHI and with the possibility of providing additional medical services on commercial terms.
Medical facilities joining the program pay for rental property symbolic ruble per square meter per year. To move onto the reduced rate, the tenant shall, within eight months from the date of registration of the contract to renovate the space and begin to provide medical services to the population. The program is designed for 20 years. Basically we are talking about premises with an area of 200 square meters on the ground floors of residential houses.

Just at the moment in the framework of the project "Doctor near" to rental investors has rented 60 rooms; 38 clinics have already finished the repair and opened.
One of the largest participants of the program "Doctor is near" is a network of clinics of the same. The company is headed by former top executives of ROSNO Vladimir Gurdus and Leonid Melamed. A few years ago, businessmen decided to open a medical clinic by analogy with small shops of trading networks in residential areas. So, there appeared on the maps hospitals and polyclinics within walking distance, where the residents of nearby houses are served.
The Director of the City Agency for investment management Leonid Kostroma in an interview to "Lenta.ru" noted that investors are interested in the project "Doctor is near”. “Such clinics usually provide to the population general health care and other medical services, except services in dentistry, cosmetology, addiction medicine, plastic surgery, venereology, andrology," — said the expert. According to him, the project is designed for representatives of small and medium businesses who wish to contribute to the development of social infrastructure of the city. Investors are attracted to the project, said the Kostroma, and many entrepreneurs, having tried hands in a single object, consider new options or take a few rooms, creating a network of medical institutions.
"Doctor is near" is a real example of efficient public-private partnerships in healthcare. However, fully commercial medical network also function in the capital market. One of them is MEDSI, the largest in the country according to RBC.Research, The network consists of three dozen clinics in Moscow, districts and region, fifty health centers at the enterprises, rehabilitation centers, ambulance service and three health centers. Since the beginning of 2015 the company operates in the CHI system, but everything is limited to free planned hospitalization at the medical center in Otradnoe.
The company "Invitro", which was the first in Russia to turn laboratory studies into manufacture, is famous since the end of the 90-ies. Now the network includes 700 treatment-and-prophylactic institutions, the majority of which is franchising. "Invitro" is also involved in CHI program. Another network operating on the same terms is "Mother and child".