Inter-District Medical Centers (IDMCs) of the Nizhny Novgorod Region are a form of healthcare organization in which several district hospitals are consolidated into a single structure with a lead institution and branches. The IDMC network is being developed as part of the national project "Long and Active Life", implemented from 2025 at the initiative of the federal government. By August 2026, four such centers were operating in the region: the "Oka," "Northern," Povetluzhye," and "Makaryev" centers.[2][3]

Goals and Principles

The key objective of the reforms is to make more effective use of the staffing and material resources of several institutions, improving access to specialized medical care for residents of remote areas. The lead hospital of each center belongs to the second level of specialized care; all other hospitals within the IDMC are converted to branch status. The unified structure makes it possible to distribute physicians evenly across territories, organize outreach consultations by narrow-specialty doctors in affiliated districts, and improve the efficiency of equipment and transport use.[2]

Active Centers

Oka IDMC — one of the first centers to be established. The lead institution is the Pavlovo Central District Hospital, which houses an Pavlovo Central District Hospital, a road traffic accident center, and an oncology center. The IDMC also includes the Vacha and Sosnovo Central District Hospitals, operating as branches. Since 2022, more than 620 million rubles from regional and federal budgets have been allocated to the modernization of the Pavlovo Central District Hospital. The unified structure of the Oka IDMC employs more than 330 physicians and over 1,100 mid-level medical professionals. According to center director Aleksandr Maslagin, the consolidation made it possible to close the shortage of narrow-specialty physicians across all three municipalities and to establish a flexible schedule for Pavlovo Central District Hospital specialists to travel to affiliated districts.[2][3] Deputy Director for Outpatient Services Tatyana Kolchanova noted that the new model allows for an even distribution of personnel: in particular, the cardiology service now sees patients in each of the districts.[2]

In addition to the Oka center, the region is home to IDMC "Northern," "Povetluzhye," and "Makaryev," which consolidate a number of other district hospitals in the region. According to a statement from the Governor's press service dated August 7, 2026, three more inter-district medical centers were planned to be established in the near future.[3]

Sources

  1. NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" — The Oka IDMC provided residents of three districts with narrow-specialty physicians (archive)
  2. Vremya N — Four inter-district medical centers established in the Nizhny Novgorod Region (archive)
  3. GTRK "Nizhny Novgorod" (Vesti) — Five inter-district medical centers begin operating in the Nizhny Novgorod Region (archive)