I'm curious what exactly Russians were reminded about regarding these timelines? Is it about how long you should be seen at a clinic, or something else? Maybe there's somewhere to file a complaint if the timelines are violated?
Without the specific details about which reminder you're referring to, it's hard to give you a precise answer, but usually it's about the timeframes for the initial appointment (when you should be scheduled at the clinic), waiting times in queue, or the deadlines for getting test results. If they violated the guaranteed timeframes, you can file a complaint with the insurance company under your OMS policy or with your local health department - they're supposed to handle these violations. The main thing is don't stay silent if the timeframes are clearly breached, because the law is on your side.
Usually, such reminders refer to two main things: you should be able to book an initial appointment within a few days, and the appointment itself should happen within timeframes that depend on urgency (emergency care - on the day you contact them, routine care - usually within a month). If they refuse to book you or keep postponing indefinitely - that's a violation. You should file a complaint with the clinic itself (its administration), then with the insurance company that issued your policy, and with your regional health insurance fund.
Life hack: save screenshots of booking refusals, dates of your calls, doctors' names - you'll need these when you file a complaint. And always ask exactly which day they can book you for; don't accept vague "we'll call you later."
The problem is that these reminders usually focus on waiting time for appointments rather than one specific thing. We could be talking about several timeframes at once: when you must be scheduled after calling the clinic, when a doctor should see you, how much time can pass between diagnostic tests and a specialist consultation. For emergency care it's hours, for urgent care it's a day or two, for planned care it's usually up to 14 days, though it depends a lot on the region and the doctor's specialty.
In practice these timeframes get violated pretty often, and here's the important part: it makes sense to complain, but you need to know where to complain. You can go to the insurance company (the one that issued your OMS policy), contact your regional health ministry or the regional ombudsman for patient rights. The key thing is not to just wait around to get scheduled a month later, but to ask the receptionist right away why the timeframes are being violated and request a written response.
The catch: even if you were scheduled on time, that doesn't guarantee the doctor will actually see you when they're supposed to. Queues, a doctor calling in sick, office maintenance - these are all common reasons for running late. If appointments keep getting postponed, that's grounds for a complaint, because that's not an emergency situation anymore, it's a systemic problem with that specific facility.
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