Medical and economic indicators for insurance coverage of occupational disease victims in Kuzbass

Abstract

Maintaining worker health and preventing occupational diseases requires measures to ensure safe working conditions, which entails significant expenditures. However, existing government mechanisms for influencing employers do not ensure their implementation in all workplaces, necessitating new approaches to addressing the socially pressing issues of improving working conditions and preserving the country's workforce. The development and scientific substantiation of medical and economic indicators for quantifying the economic consequences of worker health impairments during work activities is essential. These indicators are based on the extent to which hygienic standards are exceeded, the likelihood of damage to health, the possible degree of loss of ability to work, and the resulting economic damage. There are virtually no studies in the literature assessing the cost-effectiveness of improving working conditions. As a result, in the Russian Federation, approximately 5 million man-days are lost annually due to temporary disability. A comprehensive assessment of working conditions, actual statistics on occupational disease victims, and the development of medical, social, and economic indicators for calculating insurance coverage for affected workers are needed. The purpose of this study was to scientifically analyze occupational disease insurance statistics in the Kuzbass region and the medical and economic consequences of their leading nosological entities to substantiate the calculation of insurance coverage in accordance with Federal Law No. 125-FZ, with the aim of improving prevention and social protection for workers. For the first time, based on statistics on insurance claims related to occupational diseases, the structure of officially registered occupational diseases in the Kuzbass region (over 25,000 cases) was analyzed for the first four years of the mandatory social insurance system.