HIGHER MEDICAL EDUCATION IN RUSSIA: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND NEW HORIZONS

Medical education in Russia has undergone significant changes in recent years, which have enhanced the level of training due to more flexible training programmes. Continuous medical and pharmaceutical education is now offered in Russia, the accreditation system for specialists has been optimized, students and graduates can now work their first official jobs under the supervision of experienced mentors, and the prestige of Russian medical universities abroad has increased. As of the end of 2022, Russia ranked sixth in the world in terms of the number of foreign students, most of whom are from CIS countries, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, India, and China and are studying medical-related professions. Effectively combining innovative and traditional methods in medical education helps to train highly qualified medical professionals in Russia with modern expertise to deal with the latest healthcare challenges, as well as export Russian education abroad, which in the long term will help create an attractive image of Russia in the international arena. What innovative approaches are currently being introduced into the healthcare workforce training system? What needs to be done to enhance the authority of medical education in Russia for the country’s citizens and foreign students? How should the physical infrastructure of universities be developed? How can medical universities create their own research and innovation clusters?