Any system, including the health care system, maintains stability, integrity and adapts to the requirements of evolution due to the changes introduced into it at the stages of development. None of the health systems are flawless and all are improving in various ways. The article provides an overview of the stages of development of healthcare in the Russian Federation based on an analysis of the regulatory legal framework over the past thirty years. As an illustration, an analysis of the organization of medical care for children with cancer was carried out.