The Moscow Times пишет, that on October 2 Kovalkina was visited by the deputy chief physician for personnel, the head of the legal department, and the chair of the trade union committee, who demanded to know whether she agreed to sign an agreement changing the terms of her employment contract. After her refusal, management issued a dismissal order and, as an alternative, offered her a position as a pediatric doctor, registrar, or maintenance cleaner.
According to the doctor, this is not only about her: in her view, the changes affect all narrow specialists at the clinic. First, Kovalkina contacted the labor inspectorate, but they could not provide an answer because the hospital did not supply the necessary information. Then she asked her employer for an explanation of the reasons for changing the contract, but received no response either.
Kovalkina insists on preserving the previous working conditions and intends to appeal the court decision, which had earlier rejected her lawsuit. She says she still believes it is possible to achieve justice.
Against this backdrop, Rosstat reported that in the first half of 2026, 185.3 thousand people were dismissed from healthcare and social service organizations, while 165.9 thousand were hired, so the number employed fell by 19.3 thousand. A Medvestnik survey in August showed that 38% of healthcare workers had faced possible staff cuts in their teams, and the authorities of St. Petersburg have already planned a 15% reduction in hospitals.
The cuts are taking place amid regional authorities slashing healthcare spending after a record combined budget deficit of 1.5 trillion rubles last year, which could rise to 2 trillion in 2026. According to the Ministry of Health, the Russian healthcare system currently lacks about 23 thousand doctors and more than 63 thousand mid-level medical staff specialists.
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