The incidence of rheumatic diseases has been constantly growing during the last 20 years, which necessitates regular assessment of the healthcare quality for these patients and identification of the most significant problems and ways to address them. Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is one of the most frequent disabling rheumatic diseases in children. The incidence and prevalence of JIA allow us to use this disorder to evaluate the organization of rheumatology care in general in terms of its accessibility and quality, as well as measures to improve it. This article reviews JIA epidemiology, characteristics and problems of healthcare organization for children with rheumatic diseases in the Russian Federation and other countries. Key words: healthcare organization, rheumatic diseases, health care, juvenile idiopathic arthritis