| Summary/Abstract |
The essay compares the public evaluation of healthcare systems in Latvia and Russia in terms of efficiency and quality of healthcare services, unofficial payments and informal gift-giving practices, and social exclusion in the area of healthcare. The coronavirus pandemic has exposed shortcomings in the availability of healthcare services, which highlights the importance and relevance of this research. In particular, I give an overview of problems people face when they receive medical treatment and test whether public perceptions vary across different social groups. To explain the observed differences, I focus on the institutional background to the current state of healthcare systems in Russia and Latvia.
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