Bulletin of Semashko National Research Institute of Public HealthBulletin of Semashko National Research Institute of Public Health2415-84102415-8429FSSBI «N.A. Semashko National Research Institute of Public Health»280110.69541/NRIPH.2024.04.005Научная статьяThe legal distinction between the provision of free medical care and paid medical servicesAlexandrovaOxana Yu.aou18@mail.ruhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-7246-4109ArestovaAnna A.anna.arestova@mail.ruhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-1720-4312LuzanovOleg A.quicksilvernov789@gmail.comhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-3446-5274LivshitzSergey A.slmd21@gmail.comhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-4257-9658N. A. Semashko National Research Institute of Public Health271120244323706052025Copyright © 2025,2025<p>The article provides a comparative analysis of regulations governing the provision of paid medical services. It has been established that there is no specification of state guarantees for the provision of free medical care, and in practice, legal mechanisms for distinguishing between free medical care and paid medical services actually do not exist.</p>medical carepaid medical servicesмедицинская помощьплатные медицинские услуги[Egiazaryan K.A., Attaeva L.Zh. Features of legal regulation of the provision of paid medical services in state and municipal healthcare institutions in Russia. Medical Law. [Meditsinskoe pravo]. 2014;(1):25—39 (in Russian).][Kalinin R.E., Medvedeva O.V., Artemyeva G.B. On the issue of paid medical services in public health care institutions. Problems of social hygiene, public health and history of medicine. [Problemy sotsial'noy gigieny, zdravookhraneniya i istorii meditsiny]. 2016;24(4):235—237 (in Russian).][Panov A.V., Bykovskaya T.Yu., Modern approaches to improving the institute of paid medical services in Russia. Research and Practice in Medicine. [Issledovaniya i praktika v meditsine]. 2019;6(1):119—131 (in Russian).][Kadyrov F.N. Possible options for citizens’ participation in the financial provision of medical care using resources not provided for by the state guarantee program. Healthcare manager. [Menedzher zdravookhraneni]. 2017;(5):70—76 (in Russian).][Krasova E.V., Sverchkova A.D. Commercial medicine in Russia: development trends and demand factors. Social aspects of public health. [Sotsial'nye aspekty zdorov'ya naseleniya]. 2022;68(4):8 (in Russian).]