Paul Goble
Staunton, June 12 – In April, fewer babies were born in Russia than at point in the recent past. This decline hit predominantly ethnic Russian regions especially hard, and to save money in the way that Vladimir Putin’s “healthcare optimization program” calls for, officials in the Kuzbass, Novosibirsk, and Rostov have decided to close maternity hospitals.
In the Kuzbass, the chief doctor said that it makes no sense to keep open a facility that employs 260 people when only one or two births are taking place each day. Instead, women about to give birth can go to regular hospitals or be treated at home (nakanune.ru/news/2023/6/12/22720915/).
The shuttering of these institutions is the most public confirmation of the demographic collapse of the ethnic Russian nation; and whatever money the state may save by closing special maternity hospitals, it is certain to lose by seeing the birthrate plunge even further given that many Russian women will conclude that not having children is becoming the norm.
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