Deputies decided to release doctors from criminal liability under Article 238.
Members of the State Duma supported the relevant bill in the 2nd and 3rd readings.
In Russia, doctors will no longer be prosecuted under Article 238 of the Criminal Code, Kommersant writes.
This concerns liability for the performance of work or provision of services that do not meet safety requirements.
This decision was prompted by the disappointing statistics observed in healthcare.
Article 238 has become the most frequently used against medical workers. This is indicated by the data collected in recent years.
In the first part, 138 cases were opened in 2022, and 216 in 2023. In the second part, the situation is similar - 136 (2022) and 247 (2023).
Lower house of parliament member and first deputy head of the health protection committee Badma Bashankayev called the decision “epochal for the entire healthcare system.”
He emphasized that Article 238 had a strong impact on the motivation of doctors and deprived the field of experienced specialists who could be useful.
For young people, it was a warning that they shouldn't go into the healthcare sector. Now the situation will change, the deputy believes.
According to the parliamentarian, doctors will now be able to “breathe a little easier.”
