Improving the availability of primary health care in hard-to-reach regions: the experience of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia)

Abstract

Aim. To summarize the experience of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) in improving the healthcare management in remote, hard-to-reach and sparsely populated areas.
Material and methods. We used data from analytical and statistical reports of the Republican Center of Mobile Teams of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) for 2022-2024, as well as regulatory documents on the primary healthcare (PHC) management in hard-to-reach regions.
Results. The article considers current problems and directions for improving the availability of PHC to residents of hard-to-reach Arctic areas of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia). It is shown that the Republican Center of Mobile Teams, which has been operating since 2023, effectively solves the problems of healthcare provision in remote areas without involving the personnel and material and technical resources of the leading republican medical organizations. The mobile medical teams operating in the Arctic area of the republic are responsible for the following: assessing the population health status, including the nomadic routes of residence of indigenous peoples of the North; early diagnosis of noncommunicable diseases; identifying patients in need of specialized, including high-tech care; imaging follow-up monitoring, including the use of telemedicine consultations.
Conclusion. Maintaining and strengthening the population health in Arctic areas of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) is a complex multifaceted task that requires significant resources and interdepartmental cooperation. In the conditions of a harsh climate, scattered settlements and low transport accessibility, providing the population with affordable and high-quality health care requires the development of a specialized area — Arctic medicine.