Economic aspects of the development of health care in Russia in pandemic conditions

Health care is one of the most significant social sectors in the country’s economy, and therefore maintaining its normal functioning and dynamic development is among the priority socio-economic tasks. The ongoing crisis in the economy and the deficit of the state budget are forced to become the reasons for reducing spending on social policy, including health care. The study assesses the dynamics and structure of the total volume of investments in the fixed capital of health care in Russia in the period 2014-2020, as well as analyzes the availability and condition of fixed assets in the industry before and during the pandemic, draws conclusions about the change in investment policy in health care in in the fight against coronavirus. It was established that the volume of investments in fixed assets aimed at the development of healthcare in Russia remained at a low level for many years and amounted to only slightly more than 1% of the total investment in the country’s economy. At the same time, only the beginning of the pandemic against the backdrop of the spread of COVID-19 became an activator of the inflow of investment resources into the industry. As a result, by 2020, the total volume of investments in the country’s health care has increased by 75% compared to the level of 2019 and amounted to 580.1 billion rubles. Ensuring continuous financial support for the industry, not only in the face of epidemiological challenges, but also in the long term, is one of the key socio-economic tasks.