Early in March, Health Minister Mikhail Zurabov, unpopular for the rising cost of healthcare and as an architect of reforms to abolish Soviet-era benefits, promised to dismiss the heads of regional public health regulating bodies over a drug scandal.
Since the controversial law replacing benefits with financial compensation came into force in 2005, many cheap prescription drugs, or drugs intended for free distribution among war veterans and the disabled, have almost disappeared from drugstores.
Last month, State Duma Speaker Gryzlov said dismissals alone would not help address the drug shortage, and suggested that Zurabov's ministry should be divided into two bodies - to oversee labor and welfare, and healthcare and the medical equipment and pharmaceutical industry.
In an address to the premier, the State Duma said Wednesday the proposed measures should improve social support in Russia and help solve the free drugs crisis.
Parliamentarians voted unanimously for the address and also urged the government to take measures to develop Russia's pharmaceuticals industry and toughen administrative and criminal responsibility for counterfeiting drugs.
Commenting on the address, which was drafted by members of the Duma majority United Russia party, LDPR leader and Deputy Speaker of the State Duma Vladimir Zhirinovsky said that was "a disguised demand to fire Zurabov," which, however, would not be unconstitutional, he said.
Zhirinovsky said that no country has health and welfare spheres united within a single ministry.
