Digital health services are expanding across Russian regions, providing citizens access to electronic health records (EHRs) where they can view lab results, scans, and prescriptions. In **Moscow**, the popularity of the related mobile application has grown by 1.5 times over the past year, now serving over 6 million users. While similar systems exist in other regions, patient access to their data is not universally available. Experts highlight a significant digital divide between Moscow and other regions, largely attributed to disparities in funding.
Anastasia Rakova, Deputy Mayor of **Moscow** for Social Development, reported a 1.5-fold increase in the popularity of the mobile version of the electronic health record (EHR) within the `EMIACS.Info` application over the past year. Nearly 6 million Moscow residents now use the service. Access to EHRs in Moscow was introduced five years ago. Currently, `EMIACS.Info` provides access to lab results, instrumental examination findings including medical images, doctor`s consultation protocols, CT, MRI scans, and other data. Users can also upload their own medical documents to the system (over 4.8 million documents have been uploaded by city authorities` data). Additionally, treatment history can be reviewed online through the EHR.
This report investigates the status of similar services in other regions.
In the **Moscow Region**, an analogous system — EMIAS Moscow Oblast — is in operation. Electronic health records are accessible to residents via `Gosuslugi` (Public Services portal) and the `Dobrodel` mobile app. This service enables appointment booking, obtaining referrals, viewing lab and examination results, and medical reports. While the regional Ministry of Health did not disclose the exact number of EHR users, they emphasized that the electronic format for medical records is a `priority` for the region`s healthcare institutions. In **St. Petersburg**, residents can book doctor appointments and check their health status through the `Health of a Petersburger` portal. An integrated EHR within the application allows users to view diagnoses, lab results, vaccination data, and issued referrals, as reported by the city`s healthcare committee. The portal currently has 2.25 million registered users.
In the **Chelyabinsk Region**, patients can access their medical records via the `Talon` service or `Gosuslugi` portal. While usage dynamics statistics are not maintained, the regional Ministry of Health assured that the service has been actively used for many years. Medical institutions, the department noted, are gradually transitioning from paper records to EHRs. The electronic healthcare service in the **Tula Region** is named `Doctor 71`. An application, `Arsenal of Services`, which duplicates the portal`s functionality, is also available. Since January 1, 2025, the service has recorded over half a million unique visitors, approximately one-third of the region`s population. The regional ministry highlights that the portal allows users to link family members` medical records to their personal accounts for calling doctors and monitoring treatment adherence.
In **Yakutia**, all medical organizations have fully transitioned to electronic document management, but patients currently lack access to their own data. In **Stavropol Krai**, electronic medical records have been introduced over several years, but the process is not yet complete, with full transition only occurring in some medical facilities. Access to these records is limited to doctors, and paper records are still maintained in parallel with electronic ones. In **Khabarovsk Krai**, a unified medical information system, `Bars`, has been implemented in all institutions under the regional Ministry of Health, but patient access to their electronic records is not available; only doctors can view them.
While electronic healthcare systems have been implemented in various forms across nearly all Russian regions, their quality often leaves much to be desired, notes Vadim Tkachenko, a medical law expert and founder of the vvCube consulting group.
«The digital divide in healthcare between Moscow and other regions remains significant,» he explains. «This is primarily due to differences in funding and the budget allocated for medicine and its digitalization in the regions.» Tkachenko recalls that last year, an agreement was signed between Moscow and St. Petersburg to implement the EMIAS system in 35 St. Petersburg hospitals by the end of 2025, granting most city hospitals access to digital technologies. «In other cities,» Tkachenko concludes, «electronic medical records are either introduced as pilot projects or are exclusively used in private medical institutions that independently cover the costs of system implementation and support.»
