RUSSIA (2010): ASSESSMENT OF THE AVAILABILITY OF MEDICAL SERVICES FOR MOST-AT-RISK POPULATIONS IN KRASNODAR AND ST. PETERSBURG

Research was conducted in two regions of the Russian Federation, Saint Petersburg and Krasnodar, where the PreventAIDS program is implemented. Research objectives were: 1) to assess the availability of medical services for most-at-risk groups of the population (with a focus on providing reproductive health services); 2) to evaluate the attitude of medical staff towards the target audience (with a focus on females involved in providing commercial sex); and 3) to compare behaviors of trusted doctors1 and regular district doctors providing services to those most vulnerable to HIV infection. The case study methodology was used to assess the availability of medical services that specialize in reproductive health services. Case study is an integrated research method involving different types of data collection. This method involves collecting information on the same issue from various sources, supplementing findings from one source with findings from another and evaluating the reliability of data by comparing the different types of information collected. In this case study, quantitative data was supplemented with data obtained from observations, field notes, and both express and in-depth interviews. Evaluated together, the data presents a complete picture of the availability of medical services pertaining to reproductive health. No priority is given to any separate source of information.