Zee Beam News

04-27-2006 Kommersant - The lifetime of Russians is from 10 years to 15 years shorter than in the developed countries. In part, the gap could be attributed to social and economic features. Another reason is the condition of Russia's health system, which efficiency has stalled since mid.-1960's. The high death toll in Russia is often explained by the reasons of no apparent bond with the health service. Those are diseases of the social ill-being. According to Human Demography and Ecology Center, the incidence of the homeless disease, pediculosis, grew from 150 cases per 100,000 people in 1997 to around 210 per 100,000 past year. The number of consumptives nearly doubled in 1999 vs. 1990 and has stood still ever since. The analysts say today's situation in Russia resembles the period of 1965 to 1980, when in time of skyrocketing revenues derived from the oil and gas exports, the alcohol consumption and death toll in the working age group were stepping up as well. Still, the health system's performance appears equally vital. For curable diseases, Russia and Great Britain had almost the same lethal level in 1965, just around 400 deaths per 100,000 residents a year, say analysts of High School of Economy. In the mid.-1990's however, Russia had the same 400 deaths per 100,000 residents, while Great Britain curtailed the death toll to 250 on improvement of health service. The situation is equally disappointing when it comes to the life duration. For Russia's man, the lifetime slid from 64.66 years in 1965 to 63.75 years in 1990, while Great Britain had 68.31 years and 72.95 years respectively. The gap has extended once the economic reforms commenced. By the mid.-1990, the number of deaths from curable diseases went up to 600 per 100,000 residents in Russia, but shed to 200 per 100,000 in Great Britain. The duration of a man's life averaged 75.02 years in 1999 in Great Britain and just 59.89 years in Russia.