Private clinics warned about rising prices due to a possible increase in income tax

Private clinics will be forced to raise prices for their services if the initiative of State Duma deputies to raise income tax to 5% is implemented, several non-governmental medical organizations told Izvestia.

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These funds will be enough to cover the needs of patients in 2025 and 2026.

"In the private sector, many people work with very small margins. Clinics will increase the cost of their services, look for ways to optimize costs, and some will leave the market altogether. In any case, there is a risk of reduced investments, purchases of modern equipment, high—quality materials and a decrease in the quality and accessibility of services," said Zarema Omarova, dermatologist, cosmetologist, co-owner of the Dr. Omarov clinic network.

Olga Shuppo, founder and scientific director of the Grand Clinic network of immunorehabilitation, adaptive and preventive medicine clinics, also points out that the initiative "will scare away investors and new players who planned to enter this market."

"Clinics will be forced to shift costs to consumers, and the availability of services to the public will decrease. This will be especially critical in the rehabilitation segment, which has not received significant development from the state since the pandemic, in the segment of high—tech care, preventive medicine, etc.," she told Izvestia.

Zarema Omarova notes that this will particularly affect the fields of dentistry, cosmetology, and ophthalmology, where private clinics occupy the main market share.

Read more about the initiative of State Duma deputies to impose a 5% income tax on the non-governmental healthcare sector in the Izvestia article.

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