China and Russia both have state-controlled health systems, but with different structures and challenges. Russia provides universal healthcare through a compulsory state insurance program, though it is criticized for underfunding and outdated facilities. China has achieved nearly universal health insurance coverage and provides healthcare primarily through state-owned hospitals, with achievements in areas like disease control and vaccination programs. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8] 
China

• Coverage: Achieved universal health insurance coverage by 2011, protecting against healthcare costs. [5, 9] 
• Delivery: Healthcare is provided primarily by state-owned hospitals. [6, 7] 
• Achievements: Notable public health successes include achieving WHO tuberculosis control targets, eliminating some diseases like schistosomiasis, and providing free vaccinations for 15 types of diseases. [4] 
• Challenges: Despite widespread coverage, challenges remain, including issues with resource allocation and the strain on services for a population of over 1.4 billion. [4, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13] 

Russia

• Coverage: Guarantees free healthcare to all citizens through a compulsory state health insurance program. [1, 2] 
• Delivery: Healthcare is delivered through state and municipal facilities or private providers contracted by the state. [6, 7] 
• Funding: Healthcare is funded through employer contributions and a mix of general taxation. It is often criticized for being underfunded, with a low percentage of GDP spent on healthcare compared to other developed nations. [1, 3, 6, 7, 14] 
• Challenges: The public system faces criticism for poor organization, outdated equipment, a lack of funds, and underpaid staff. [1] 

Common characteristics and differences [2, 6, 7] 

• State Control: Both countries have a high degree of state control over their healthcare systems. [2, 6, 7, 15, 16] 
• Vaccine Development: Both countries have pursued rapid development of their own vaccines, sometimes with little regard for international standards, and use them as a tool for geopolitical influence, as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. [17, 18] 
• Efficiency: While Russia is a developed nation, it is ranked very low in terms of healthcare efficiency. China, however, operates one of the most efficient healthcare systems in the world, providing a vast amount of care with a relatively small budget. [4, 5, 14, 19] 

AI responses may include mistakes.

[1] https://www.expatica.com/ru/healthcare/healthcare-basics/healthcare-in-russia-104030/
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Healthcare_in_Russia
[3] https://www.internationalinsurance.com/countries/russia/healthcare/
[4] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7148679/
[5] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5360409/
[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Healthcare_in_China
[7] https://eurohealthobservatory.who.int/countries/russian-federation
[8] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10180676/
[9] https://www.who.int/teams/health-promotion/enhanced-wellbeing/ninth-global-conference/healthy-china
[10] https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/chinas-healthcare-system-better-than-ours-you-decide-web-golinkin-lwanc
[11] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211883717300400
[12] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10422683/
[13] https://publichealth.jmir.org/2025/1/e72978
[14] https://bigthink.com/the-present/russia-bad-healthcare/
[15] https://www.atlantis-press.com/article/125965990.pdf
[16] https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14631377.2020.1867433
[17] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uX8Y5x7zR5c
[18] https://www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/new-era-russian-foreign-policy-global-health
[19] https://www.chinaeducationaltours.com/guide/culture-chinese-health-care-system.htm