Russian as a commodity: medical tourism and the healthcare industry in post-Soviet Lithuania

ABSTRACT

The focus of this paper is on Lithuania, where government policies continue to limit the use of Russian in education, the public space and the media, while the local economy has recognized proficiency in Russian as a commodity. This is particularly salient in the healthcare industry that grew significantly in the past years with patients from post-Soviet countries seeking treatment at local hospitals and private clinics. Marketed for their ‘European’ standards and competitive prices, promotional discourses refer to proficiency in Russian and familiarity with Russian culture and customs among medical staff. This commodification of Russian challenges perceptions on the value of language in the formation of political and cultural identities, pointing towards a paradigmatic shift and renegotiation of language attitudes in countries of the former USSR.

KEYWORDS:

• Language commodification
• Russian
• tourism
• language ideologies
• Lithuania

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. Original text in Russian: Литва привлекает пациентов из-за рубежа, которые хотят получить эффективное и качественное медицинское обслуживание по доступным ценам. Общая стоимость лечения, особенно дорогостоящих операций, значительно ниже по сравнению с другими европейскими странами. Литовские врачи, хирурги и медицинские специалисты говорят на русском языке, что помогает им найти общий язык с пациентами. http://nmc.lt/meditsinskij-turizm/dobro-pozhalovat-v-litvu/o-litve/

2. Original text in Lithuanian: ‘Būtent Rytų, nes su šiomis šalimis nėra kalbos barjero, mūsų panašus mentalitetas, taip pat turime pakankamai gerą reputaciją iš senų laikų – Lietuva nuo sovietmečio garsėjo kaip kokybiškų medicinos paslaugų šalis. Vakaruose mes tokio įvaizdžio neturime.’ http://www.delfi.lt/news/daily/health/idomus-ne-tik-baltarusiams-lietuvos-laukia-pasiligojusiu-rusu-antpludis.d?id=62302823.

3. In the first and second quarter of 2015, the Lithuanian tourism industry reports a 37.2% drop in visitors from the Russian Federation if compared to the same time of the previous year (State Department of Tourism 2015).

4. ‘Right now is there a language barrier in the communication with hospital staff? Absolutely not. All workers in the clinic speak Russian.’

5. SPC establishes a similar claim with regard to the language proficiency of staff in English on its website. While fieldwork at the hospital indeed points towards proficiency in Russian of all hospital workers, proficiency of English is limited to physicians and administrators.

6. Original text in Russian: Драматическая борьба за жизнь.

Additional information

Funding

This work was partly supported by a travel grant from the German Academic Exchange Service DAAD.