Page 20 - bne_newspaper_April_12_2019

Eastern Europe
April 12, 2019 www.intellinews.com I Page 20
Russian medical services show healthy growth
Ben Aris in Berlin
Private medical services are flourishing in Russia as the emerging middle class are willing to pay for better service, shorter waiting times and the peace of mind that they are providing the best possible care particularly for their younger family members when they need it.
Russian citizens enjoy free universal medical
care under the constitution, but as anyone that has had contact with the Russian medical system knows, that is only an ideal. While the standard
of care is actually not that bad compared to
what is experienced on many other emerging markets, the system is riven by shortages of beds, equipment and medicines. Corruption is rife as
doctors are on the take to move people up the queue or get access to a complex treatment and patients are commonly asked to pay for their own medication, when it should be free.
The expansion of private medical services in Russia began in two areas: private hospitals that cater to the well-off and expats, with the European Medical Centre being the pioneer and familiar
to any expat living in Moscow. Pre-natal and maternity has been the other rapid growth area; everyone is willing to pay a little extra for the best when it comes to a baby.
Read the full story here Russian government outlines rules
for Transcontainer sale
Russian government reportedly outlined the rules for the sale of the controlling stake in Transcontainer container operator, Kommersant daily reported on April 8 citing the unpublished instructions to the largest shareholder of the company Russian Railways (RZD).
Transcontainer is one of the most valuable transportation assets in Russia, on a market that saw a number of large deals in 2018. The sale of Trancontainer has been delayed several times in botched privatisation efforts.
Now, reportedly, the government is ready to
sell a 50% plus 2 shares stakes in the container operator to Russian citizen, not affiliated with federal or local authorities, not affiliated with maritime container operators, and either already having at least 20% stake in Transcontainer or
controlling some other container terminal.
In 2018 Russian billionaires Roman Abramovich and Alexander Abramov already acquired 24.5% stake in Transcontainer from RZD and reportedly intended to seek a controlling stake in one of Russia's most valuable transportation assets.
Last year maritime transportation major Fesco that controls Far East Sea Port terminal sold 25.07% in Transcontainer to state-controlled VTB Bank, also a largest creditor of the container operator. Fesco's largest shareholder with 32.5% is Summa Group of jailed Kremlin-connected oligarch and Ziyavudin Magomedov, who since his arrest in 2018 was pressured to sell a number of major transportation assets.
Read the full story here