ST. PETERSBURG, September 2 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian Defense Ministry will hire civilian staff on a contract basis to meet the current shortage of military doctors, Deputy Defense Minister Ruslan Tsalikov said Monday.
As of today, 95 percent of medical officers posts in the military have been filled, he said, adding there is an especially acute shortage of dentists, pharmacologists and specialists in preventive medicine.
Training programs for those specialists have been discontinued following the closure of two military medical colleges, one in Samara and the other in Tomsk, he said.
The Defense Ministry has earmarked over 1 billion rubles ($30 million) for the provision of high-tech medical assistance in the military, he added.
