Neural Networks Are Helping Russian Doctors Decide When to Evacuate Patients

AI-powered triage comes to remote villages in Siberia

In Russia’s vast northern territories, where roads often disappear into taiga and winter can outlast the calendar, doctors are turning to artificial intelligence to make life-or-death decisions from afar.

A newly deployed AI system in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug is using neural networks to remotely assess the condition of patients in isolated communities. Designed for use in emergency care, the tool supports medical teams in determining whether a medevac is necessary — a critical call when helicopters are hours away and weather windows are tight.

“This technology gives doctors an extra layer of insight,” say regional health officials. “It helps reduce unnecessary airlifts, eases the load on emergency teams, and ultimately improves care for people in hard-to-reach areas.”

Built into Russia’s growing telemedicine infrastructure, the system analyzes clinical inputs and patient data to flag potential critical conditions. For remote physicians in the Siberian region of Yugra, that means quicker access to expert consultation and better-informed decisions — without leaving the patient’s side.

Next on the region’s digital health roadmap: expanding 24/7 telemedicine services, integrating disaster response tools, and scaling AI-assisted consultations to even more of the map’s blank spaces.