Last year, many were afraid that Western drug manufacturers would stop deliveries to Russia. And rushed to buy medicines for the future
Photo: Alexey BULATOV
The times are now – you can’t figure it out without a hundred grams of valocordin! The difficult geopolitical situation (let’s call it that) hit not only the wallets of Russians, but also their health. This was shown by a survey conducted by Komsomolskaya Pravda in social networks. We asked our subscribers: “What unplanned expenses have you encountered over the past year?” – and almost half answered that the most unexpected were the costs of medicines and medical services (for more details, see “Specific”). And there are two reasons for that.
Reason 1, worrisome
– Due to uncertainty, unexpected political and economic events, many people have a feeling of anxiety about their future and the future of their children. Stress exacerbates chronic diseases. Many began to intensively drink appropriate medications, vitamins, and consult doctors. Of course, this led to unplanned expenses, – explains psychologist Natalia Panfilova. But there was another important factor. Last year, some people suffered the consequences of covid, complications, recovery period. This also increased the demand for medicines and medical services.
Reason 2, thrifty
Last year, many were afraid that Western drug manufacturers would stop deliveries to Russia. And they rushed to buy medicines for the future. It is logical that their costs have increased.
“In the context of the uncontrolled imposition of sanctions, people have concerns about future supplies,” says Maxim Chirkov, Associate Professor of the Department of Political Economy at the Faculty of Economics of Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov. – But it seems to me that the panic with a possible shortage of certain drugs was deliberately dispersed. When the sanctions began, a wave of rumors about the shortage of some drugs went through social networks. As a result, none of the forecasts came true (practically all foreign manufacturers continue deliveries to the Russian Federation, – Ed.). But the deed is done: the demand for medicines has grown.
But not only on medicines, the Russians “unscheduled” spent in 2022. In second place is car repair. The most obvious explanation is the increase in the cost of spare parts. But, it turns out, not only.
– Parts, indeed, jumped in price – said Maxim Chirkov. – But now, by the way, prices have more or less stabilized and even decreased. The problem is that new cars have become very expensive. Therefore, drivers begin to put their equipment in order so that it lasts longer. Last year, there was a real stir at service stations, where queues were scheduled for two weeks in advance, or even more. Today, supply problems have not been fully resolved, but there are options for buying cars. I think that the situation will stabilize. And the same as in 2022 will not happen again.
Photo: Nail VALIULIN
