The expert named the disadvantages of the three-level model of maternity care in the Russian Federation

Creating a three-level model of the maternity care system based on the centralization of complex births in large perinatal centers may be ineffective for remote areas, Konstantin Smirnov, an expert at the Popular Front, warned in an interview with Izvestia.

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Such a system has proven effective in densely populated regions, he acknowledged, but the situation is different in vast and remote areas.

"And, for example, the analysis of citizens' appeals to the president's direct line, carried out by the Popular Front, reveals complaints related to insufficient access to medical care for obstetric care in cities and rural settlements," said the source.

At the same time, according to the expert, people face a lack of public transport routes and the inability to plan childbirth.

"For example, there have been cases when, in order to get to a doctor's appointment, you need to take a taxi and stop somewhere for the night," Smirnov said, adding that the solution could be to create social hotels for pregnant women at perinatal centers or large maternity hospitals.

Read more in the Izvestia article:

Fight for life: why enlarging maternity hospitals can be dangerous