The expert spoke about the transition to electronic medical books in Russia

Electronic medical books are much more difficult to forge than their paper counterparts, and their implementation will make data authenticity control almost automatic. Svetlana Bessarab, a member of the State Duma Committee on Labor, Social Policy and Veterans' Affairs, told Izvestia about this.

"When we switched to electronic sick leave, it turned out that about 2 million paper disability certificates were fake. Electronic documents are almost impossible to forge — they can be checked at all levels, and it is technically difficult," the deputy stressed.

According to her, the key advantage of the digital system will be the availability of medical information: the electronic patient card will be visible to any medical organization, which will allow Russians to receive correct medical advice anywhere in the country.

Against the background of these changes, Russia is preparing for a full-scale transition to electronic personal medical books (ELMC). The transition period will last until September 1, 2026 — the relevant order of the Ministry of Health No. 457 entered into force on August 31, 2025. Until this date, medical organizations can continue to issue paper medical certificates, while simultaneously entering data into the federal register.

Previously, the full implementation of ELMK was envisaged by Order No. 90 of 2022, but the deadlines were postponed several times due to technological and organizational difficulties. The agency now says that an additional delay will allow it to complete digital integration and minimize the risks of a mass transition.

For more information, see the Izvestia article.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.