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- Russia is completely switching to electronic medical books: what an employee needs to know
Russia is completely switching to electronic medical books: what an employee needs to know
Russia is preparing for the final transition to electronic medical books, which should be completed in 2026. The new system changes the accounting procedure for data on examinations and sanitary training of employees, as well as introduces a single digital register available to employers and medical organizations. How the integration of electronic medical books will take place and what it means for employees and businesses is described in the Izvestia article.
Transition to electronic medical books in Russia
Russia's full transition to electronic personal medical books (ELMC) was planned earlier, but the timing has been repeatedly adjusted. Currently, the official order of the Ministry of Health dated July 30, 2025, No. 457, which extended the transition period: the issuance and maintenance of paper medical records are allowed until September 1, 2026.
The document entered into force on August 31, 2025 and allows medical organizations to continue to issue paper books until the specified date when entering information into the previously formed register of issued LMC. This decision secured a new postponement in order to complete the technical integration and reduce the risks of mass conversion of accounting to digital format.
Initially, the transition was regulated by the order of the Ministry of Health No. 90 dated February 18, 2022, which introduced the form and procedure for conducting LMC, including in electronic form. However, given the technological and organizational difficulties of many medical institutions and employers, the agency has repeatedly postponed the practical abolition of paper books.
Svetlana Bessarab, a member of the State Duma Committee on Labor, Social Policy and Veterans' Affairs, told Izvestia that e-books are much more difficult to forge than paper media.
"Since we switched to electronic sick leave from paper sick leave, we confirmed the information that about 2 million paper sick leave sheets were fake. But those sick leave forms that are issued electronically are almost impossible to fake, because, firstly, they can be checked at all levels, and secondly, it is quite difficult," the expert noted.
The member of the State Duma Committee also stressed that thanks to electronic medical books, the electronic patient card will be available to any healthcare organization. Thus, Russians anywhere in the country will be able to receive the correct advice and help from a doctor.
What employees and employers need to know
The first and most important thing is that an electronic personal medical book for its intended purpose does not eliminate the need to undergo professional examinations and sanminimum. The procedure for passing the examinations necessary to obtain and confirm the book remains the same: the examinations are performed by authorized medical organizations and hygiene and surveillance centers, and the results are recorded in the LMC.
The format of data storage and output is changing: Information about medical examinations, vaccine status, and health education classes will be stored in an electronic subsystem and linked to the Rospotrebnadzor/EGISZ registry. This will simplify document authentication and reduce the number of forgeries.
It is important for employees to know several practical things. Firstly, by September 1, 2026, according to the decision of the Ministry of Health, paper medical books remain an officially valid document, but employers are increasingly switching to checking medical records through the registry.
Secondly, the electronic version will be available through a personal account on the Gosuslugi portal and through accredited medical organizations: an employee will be able to initiate registration in his personal account, undergo the necessary examinations and receive an entry in the ELMC linked to his account. At the same time, entries in the electronic registry can be checked by the employer in a couple of clicks, which will reduce the need to provide paper copies.
For employers, the transition brings organizational, but not critical, changes. The employer is still required to monitor the availability of existing medical records for employees, organize professional medical examinations and conduct sanitary training when it is provided for certain professions.
With the advent of the ELMC, it will be easier for the employer to verify information and track the timing of inspections, but there will be an obligation to take into account the data electronically and, if necessary, request confirmation from employees of access to their ELMC. Employers should also take into account the requirements for the protection of personal data and ensure the confidentiality of information about the health status of employees.
Legal and financial aspects remain in the area of regulation of the current legislation: the employer does not have the right to require an employee to pay for mandatory medical examinations, and issues of penal and administrative liability for lack of proper LMC when working in risky areas are regulated by sanitary legislation and regional regulations.
During the mass transfer to the ELMC, the control authorities (Rospotrebnadzor, territorial health services) will interact with medical organizations and employers to reduce administrative risks.
How will the transition from paper documents take place?
Technically, the transfer to ELMC involves several stages. The first is the creation of infrastructure: accreditation of medical organizations for electronic bookkeeping, refinement of subsystems for data exchange with EGISZ, ensuring compatibility with the Gosuslugi portal and enterprise HR systems.
The second is the massive entry of existing data into the unified register: medical institutions will have to digitize records of past examinations and test results or confirm them through repeated examinations.
The third is the phased closure of the issuance of paper forms after the transition period. In practice, this will mean that until September 1, 2026, you can receive a medical certificate in the usual paper form, but after this date, new books will be issued only in electronic format.
According to the experience of implementing electronic hospital and other digital services, the main benefit is the reliability and transparency of accounting: electronic records are more difficult to forge and easier to verify remotely. It will also improve the monitoring of mandatory vaccinations and sanitary requirements for workers in the food industry, education and healthcare.
However, the government and business note the need for a careful approach to cybersecurity and personal data protection: storing medical information requires secure transmission channels, encryption, and strict access control. Medical organizations are required to ensure that their systems comply with data protection requirements and standards for storing medical information.
The practical scenario for obtaining an ELMC in 2025-2026 will look like this: an employee applies to an accredited medical organization or applies for an ELMC through Gosuslugi; undergoes mandatory examinations and sanitary training; data is entered into electronic form and assigned to a citizen's personal account; the employer verifies the presence and authenticity of an entry in the register when applying for a job. If the employee still has a paper version, an entry about it must be entered in the registry to preserve the continuity of the medical record.
What is important to remember now
The transition period until September 1, 2026, gives employers and medical institutions time to prepare: automate processes, train staff, and build a data protection system. Employees should familiarize themselves in advance with the possibility of registering an ELMC through Gosuslugi and choose accredited medical centers to undergo examinations in order to avoid problems with invalid documents. State control and public clarifications will, in fact, run parallel to practical implementation — the speed and quality of the translation of paper archives into digital format depend on this.
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