After Russia adopted a law on so-called mentoring for medical graduates, conflicts have intensified within the profession. The document, signed by Vladimir Putin on November 17, will take effect on March 1, 2026 and in practice requires young doctors to work for up to three years in institutions within the compulsory health insurance system, mostly state-run ones.
On November 28, Anton Yershov, a lecturer at Sechenov University, associate professor and doctor of medical sciences, worked his last day at the university. In an earlier interview with NGS55.ru, he had called the policy of compulsory placement a “dead-end path” and warned that some students would no longer want to enter the state healthcare system. He declined to comment to Vetter on his departure.
According to the outlet, this was not an isolated case. In late November, the university dissolved Department of Endocrinology No. 1, and its head, prominent endocrinologist Valentin Fadeyev, was dismissed. Medvestnik reported that this may have been linked to his public criticism of the medical education system and the new law.
An employee with about 25 years of experience in medicine told Vetter that public dissent is not welcome at the institution and that many similar cases never become public.
Students also report pressure. After a fifth-year student at St. Petersburg Pediatric Medical University posted a humorous video about the bill, she was summoned by administrators and told to delete it. She later released another video explaining and supporting the law.
Critics say the “mentoring” mechanism has not been properly defined: there is no clear answer as to who can serve as a mentor, how such specialists will be trained, or how their work will be paid for. Pavel Vorobyev, head of the Moscow City Scientific Society of Therapists, called the system a fiction.
Doctors and students fear that mandatory placement will stretch the path into the profession to 11 years or more, making the career less attractive. Vetter’s sources say the law may fill some vacancies in the short term, but could deepen staffing shortages later unless the state offers doctors decent pay, social guarantees and workable conditions.