Despite understandable difficulties, the Russian medical tourism market continues to grow. In 2025, its volume increased by 14 percent and amounted to 501 billion rubles.
Over the past five years, tourists’ spending on treatment has increased by 60 percent. True, the lion’s share of income today comes from Russians from the regions. The majority of foreign tourists are citizens of Belarus and Central Asian countries. It is difficult to expect anything else in light of the sanctions and problems related to air traffic. In addition, some Russians who until now preferred foreign clinics are now being treated in Russia. The growth of the market has been greatly facilitated by the increasing availability of high-tech medical care.
But sooner or later the situation will change, and the flow of medical tourists from foreign countries will be restored, because there are areas of medicine that are developed at the highest level in Russia and are affordable. They are primarily joint replacement, ophthalmology, reproductive medicine, cardiac surgery and oncology. We must prepare for increased demand now. It is time for some clinics to obtain international accreditation. Not enough money is invested in promoting the brands of Russian clinics abroad. The main thing is that all these problems can be solved.
Now the Ministry of Health is preparing systematic recommendations on the export of medical services to local clinics, because it is clear that foreigners who come for treatment do not take medical services from us, but, on the contrary, contribute to the development of medical infrastructure.
The opinions of columnists may not match those of editors