Lauge Risom Koch 
Russia will remove sexology from its list of certified medical professions this September while introducing a new specialty focused on healthy aging and longevity.
Russia is set to remove sexology from its official list of certified medical professions as part of a broader restructuring of the country’s healthcare registry.
The changes will take effect this autumn and include the introduction of a new specialty focused on healthy aging and longevity.
Profession removed
According to The Moscow Times, Russia’s Health Ministry has approved a decree that will remove sexology from the official register of medical professions starting September 1.
The reform will eliminate 16 medical positions while introducing 11 new specialties.
A further three professions are scheduled to be phased out by September 2028 as part of the ministry’s long-term restructuring plans.
Officials insist that patient care will not be affected by the changes.
Transition period
According to The Moscow Times, Viktor Fomin, head of the Health Ministry’s Medical Academy of Continuous Professional Education, said doctors working in affected specialties will be given time to retrain.
“Professions like urban pediatrician, adolescent physician, adolescent psychiatrist and diabetologist… emerged at different times as local responses to specific demands,” Fomin told TASS.
He said healthcare workers whose positions are being eliminated will have opportunities to transition into other medical fields.
The ministry maintains that no gaps in treatment or specialist care are expected.
Criticism emerges
The decision to remove sexology has drawn criticism from some practitioners.
According to Kommersant, Russia currently has fewer than 100 fully certified medical sexologists.
Sexologist Dmitry Orlov described the discipline as a “uniquely Russian medical innovation.”
He argued that the field combines expertise from psychotherapy, urology, gynecology, endocrinology and psychiatry.
Focus on longevity
At the same time, authorities are introducing a new specialty known as a “healthy longevity medicine physician.”
According to Kommersant, healthcare experts say the role reflects increasing life expectancy among Russia’s population.
Natalia Malysheva of the private healthcare network SM-Clinic said the specialty combines elements of internal medicine, cardiology, endocrinology, geriatrics, nutrition and preventive care.
The change is part of a wider effort to adapt Russia’s healthcare system to demographic trends and an aging population.
Sources: The Moscow Times, Kommersant, TASS
