russians today are living for shorter durations than a decade ago. A recent World Health Organization (who) survey has revealed that life expectancy in Russia has plunged to its lowest in 15 years. Though life span has dipped in all 15 republics of the former Soviet Union, Russia scored the lowest. The average Russian man lives for 57.4 years compared to 61.1 years in 1981. In communist Russia, every citizen was entitled to health services. But market reforms threw these services out of gear.
The who statistics also indicate a growing health gap between eastern and western Europe. Men in the West live up to 73 years compared to 63 years of their east European counterparts. Women in western Europe can expect to live for nearly 80 years compared to 74 years for women in eastern Europe.
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