The Ministry of Health has pushed libido to the background.

      From now on, universities will stop training such specialists, and their functions will be transferred to psychiatrists. Along with the "intimate" profession, dental doctors, laboratory technicians, prosthetists, diabetologists, and even district pediatricians are fading into the past. We explain who else has been crossed out, who will take their place, and how much residents of Kirov pay for sex consultations.

      Who the Ministry of Health has excluded

      At the end of May, the Ministry of Health of Russia approved an order that radically changes the staffing structure of domestic healthcare. The document was published on the official legal information portal.

      The essence: the old list of medical positions has been recognized as outdated. In its place is a new list with 16 positions crossed out and 11 new ones.

      The changes will take effect on September 1, 2026, but there is an exception for three specialties: bacteriologists, virologists, and parasitologists will continue to be listed until September 1, 2028.

      The following are being removed from the list:

      Obstetrician-gynecologist of the workshop medical section

      Diabetologist

      Mycologist

      Laboratory mycologist

      Laboratory technician

      Prosthetist

      District pediatrician (urban)

      District psychiatrist (adolescent)

      District psychiatrist-narcologist

      Sexologist

      Audiologist-prosthetist

      District therapist (adolescent)

      Dental doctor

      Bacteriologist (until 2028)

      Virologist (until 2028)

      Parasitologist (until 2028)

      It should be noted: the familiar "dental doctor" is disappearing — only dentists will remain. "Laboratory technician" is going away, but "medical microbiologist" will appear. There will also be no more district pediatricians and adolescent therapists — their functions will be redistributed.

      Who is coming to replace them

      In place of these positions, the Ministry of Health is introducing 11 new roles:

      Doctor of healthy longevity medicine

      Doctor of physical and rehabilitation medicine

      Medical microbiologist

      Medical speech therapist

      Medical psychologist

      Neuropsychologist

      Physical rehabilitation specialist

      Ergorehabilitation specialist

      Nutritionist (mid-level medical personnel)

      Medical nurse for medical rehabilitation

      Specialist in providing medical assistance to students (school doctors are now officially recognized)

      The trend is clear: a focus on rehabilitation, psychology, and the prevention of healthy aging. Sexology has been reduced as "duplicative" — the Ministry of Health believes that these issues can be adequately addressed by a psychiatrist.

      While officials are rewriting lists, the market is living its own life. In Kirov, sexologists feel quite confident.

      The average price for a sexologist's consultation in Kirov is 5000 rubles. According to local medical portals, the range is from 1800 to 4800-5000 rubles, depending on the clinic and the specialist's qualifications. Such figures are provided by services like doctu.ru and "ProPotential."

      Moreover, in Kirov, there is not just a separate doctor, but an entire "Center for Healthy Relationships" led by a sexologist educator. They offer:

      individual consultations (from 5000 rubles/hour),

      educational materials for adults and teenagers,

      webinars and seminars (the cost of one lesson is about 1000 rubles, while full webinars/seminars start from 3550 rubles),

      sexual education programs for children and parents.

      At the same time, one of the Kirov gymnasiums officially employed a staff sexologist — a rarity even for capitals. Private medical centers in Kirov almost universally have such a specialist on staff or under contract. There is demand, money is being paid, and webinars are being purchased.

      So while the Ministry of Health says "sexology is psychiatry," the residents of Kirov are voting with their wallets. And 5000 rubles for an hour of personal conversation is not the limit.

      Why sexologists were removed and what it officially means

      The formal reason is the elimination of excessive duplication of related functions. The informal reason is that in recent years, the training of sexologists in Russia has been limited, and the demand for such specialists in state clinics has approached zero. Private practice remains, but it will be more difficult to work without an official diploma in the specialty of "sexology."

      Now, according to the Ministry of Health's order, all issues related to sexual disorders will be transferred to psychiatrists. From September 1, 2026, enrollment for sexologists in universities will cease. Currently working specialists will not lose their jobs — they will be offered retraining (most likely in psychiatry or psychotherapy).

      The reaction from the professional community is cautiously ironic. Sexologists joke: "Libido has officially been recognized as a mental disorder."

      How sex returned to Russia

      The specialty "sexologist" appeared in post-Soviet Russia in the 1990s when family planning centers were opened. The peak occurred in the 2000s — at that time, even some district clinics had a sexologist's office. But over time, funding decreased, and only a few specialists remained. According to the "Action" trade union, in 2023, there were no more than 300 staff sexologists in state institutions across Russia. For comparison: there are almost 15,000 psychiatrists.

      Thus, the exclusion of sexology from the list is a formal liquidation of an almost extinct state profession. But in the private market, as shown by Kirov, everything is just beginning.

      What will happen to the other excluded positions

      The situation is similar:

      "Dental doctor" — secondary education, only dentists (higher education) remain. Duplication has been removed.

      "Laboratory technician" is replaced by "medical microbiologist" — requirements are increasing.

      "Diabetologist" — their functions will be taken over by endocrinologists.

      "Prosthetist" — will fall under the competence of rehabilitation doctors.

      Working individuals will retain their positions, but their titles will be renamed or their functions expanded. Problems will arise for those who want to find a job in their old specialty after September 1, 2026 — there will no longer be vacancies with such titles.