Rehabilitation Centers Reform in Four Monotowns
The government of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug has approved a roadmap for reorganizing rehabilitation centers in the towns of Langepas, Pokachi, Raduzhny, and Pyt-Yakh. The main measure involves merging these centers into comprehensive social service centers. This initiative aims to enhance the effectiveness of social support and reduce excessive administrative costs.
The decision is relevant for monotowns with populations under 50,000, where demographic trends show a decline in residents and, accordingly, a reduced load on social institutions. The reorganization will optimize staffing and redistribute resources in favor of core social service professionals.
Excess Administrative Staff as the Reason for Reform
One of the key problems in rehabilitation centers is the high percentage of administrative personnel. In the Langepas center, managers make up 20.2% of the staff; in Pyt-Yakh, 27.5%; and in Raduzhny, 24%. These figures exceed the regional average of 18.5%, which authorities plan to reduce to 18% by 2030.
The excessive administrative burden increases the cost of maintaining institutions, which becomes economically unjustified amid population declines in monotowns. Staff optimization will allow redeployment of freed-up personnel to more in-demand roles, improving the quality of services.
Demographic Changes and Reduced Load on Institutions
The monotowns of KhMAO — Langepas, Pokachi, Raduzhny, and Pyt-Yakh — are experiencing gradual population decreases. According to regional planning data, the shrinking number of residents reduces the burden on rehabilitation centers, diminishing the need to maintain each facility separately.
Considering these trends, maintaining separate infrastructures is economically unjustifiable. Combining centers into integrated structures will enable more efficient use of resources and ensure the sustainability of social services amid demographic shifts.
Staff Redistribution in Favor of Care Personnel
As part of the reform, administrative and support staff from rehabilitation centers will be reassigned to shortage positions such as care assistants and ward nurses. Projections indicate that by 2030, the social service system in Yugra will require an additional approximately 217 full-time positions, including 111.75 care assistants and 62 nurses.
This staff redistribution will help meet some of these needs without significantly increasing the budget, improving the quality and accessibility of care services for monotown populations and the entire region.
Network Optimization Since 2013
The rehabilitation centers reform continues the social infrastructure optimization policy that began in 2013. During this period, the number of social service institutions in the region decreased by 25 units — 38% of the total — and staffing was reduced by 2,807.6 positions, or 37%.
Between 2021 and 2025, the network of institutions shrank from 43 to 41. Such systematic optimization helps allocate resources more efficiently, reducing costs and enhancing the quality of social services for KhMAO residents.
The rehabilitation centers reform in four monotowns of KhMAO is aimed at improving social support efficiency and adapting to demographic changes.