Robot “Svetlana” Helps Renew 310,000 E-Prescriptions in Moscow Region
Healthcare in Russia is moving beyond digitizing individual services toward end-to-end patient support, saving time for patients and improving efficiency for clinicians.
The Moscow region has become one of the country’s largest testbeds for healthcare digitization. Subsidized prescriptions are issued electronically, and renewals have been widely shifted to a telemedicine format. Since the start of 2026, 170,000 such prescriptions have already been renewed remotely in the region, following nearly 400,000 renewals in 2025.
AI Assistant for Patients
In the Moscow region, the voice-enabled AI assistant Svetlana has, since its launch in late 2024, offered patients the option to renew electronic prescriptions for subsidized medications nearly 310,000 times. After issuing a reminder, the system can immediately route the patient to a remote consultation without requiring a clinic visit, where a physician renews the prescription.
Today, the system integrates a voice assistant, a medical information system, telemedicine services, and the regional public services portal, operating at scale across a large patient base. The benefits of AI adoption are clear: fewer routine clinic visits, time savings, and easier access to essential medications. Reduced administrative burden on healthcare staff also improves overall system efficiency.
A Multifunctional “Svetlana”
Scaling this model – combining AI outreach, telemedicine-based prescription renewal, e-prescriptions, and integration with regional healthcare systems – is the key next step for the Moscow region. It is likely to appeal to regions facing overloaded clinics, time constraints, and large populations of patients with chronic conditions. Over time, elements of this model could be adapted for use in other markets.
The AI assistant Svetlana already goes beyond prescription reminders. It can help patients schedule home visits, book appointments, reschedule or cancel visits. Its functionality is expected to expand further as healthcare digitization progresses. Experts suggest that, eventually, regional healthcare systems in Russia may rely on a unified digital patient assistant capable of supporting patients across multiple needs.
Evolution of Patient Support
Remote prescription renewal was first discussed at the federal level in 2021. At the time, while the concept was considered promising and legally permissible, practical implementation remained unclear. By 2023, the electronic format was already working effectively in the Moscow region. In September, more than 700,000 electronic prescriptions for subsidized medications had been issued, rising to 900,000 by December. More than 2 million telemedicine consultations were conducted in the region that year.
Even stronger results were recorded in 2024. More than 3 million electronic prescriptions for subsidized medications were issued, and over 400,000 prescriptions were renewed via telemedicine. The Svetlana assistant began reminding patients about renewals and offering consultation scheduling.
Svetlana acts as an interface built on top of an already established digital system, where AI helps guide patients through administrative processes while saving time. The next step is to extend this system to additional workflows: managing patients with chronic conditions, automating reminders for preventive checkups and lab tests, and deeper integration with specialist scheduling and digital channels such as regional portals and chatbots.
While digitization previously focused on individual services, patients are expected in the near future to use digital tools throughout their entire course of care.
