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The 3^rd National Healthcare Congress with international participation is held in Moscow on October 28 and 29 to mark the 150^th birthday anniversary of Nikolai Semashko, an outstanding Soviet organiser of the health system whose healthcare model and its basic principles remain relevant to this day with many countries relying on it in their respective healthcare sectors.

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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Friends, colleagues,

I would like to begin by offering my greetings to you at this congress. It is taking place for a third year in a row and has established itself as a major platform for discussing the future of our national healthcare system in all its aspects.

Let me assure you right away that many recommendations coming from your forum, which has already been recognised by the professional community, are accepted by federal and regional government agencies and widely used in medical institutions, while sharing best practices with the congress’ international participants enables us to learn more about the way national healthcare systems operate and are therefore mutually beneficial.

Russia has been relentless in its efforts on this front. We have allocated some 1.7 trillion rubles between 2019 and 2024 for carrying out dedicated federal projects. It is thanks to this substantial support that we have been able not only to deliver on current objectives, but also to achieve breakthroughs. Let me remind you that Russia was the first country in the world to register a Covid vaccine, which helped save millions of lives in 71 countries.

The share of domestic medicines and medical equipment has been growing in Russia, and the healthcare sector has been effective in reinforcing its technological sovereignty. Of course, we are committed to following the same path and to make Russia’s healthcare system even more stable, resilient and independent. This is a matter of national security.

Colleagues, you are well aware that Russia will commence the implementation of new national projects in 2025, including the Long and Active Life and New Health Saving Technologies. The enhancement and development of healthcare is, undoubtedly, a pivotal component of these projects, encompassing virtually all its spheres: from primary care to the introduction of advanced technologies and the improvement of health culture. These national projects are characterised by a comprehensive and broad approach to employing all factors and resources affecting preservation of population, which is our number one task. I would like to emphasise that all our national projects are focused on individuals, on creating conditions to enhance the well-being and quality of life of our citizens.

One of the primary objectives for the forthcoming years is to increase life expectancy. I would like to underline the necessity to reduce the disparity in this parameter between regions. It is well known that life expectancy for men remains lower than for women. We must consistently address all these issues. Generally, life expectancy should reach an average of 78 years. In the future, as previously planned, we aim to achieve the 80+ level.

Simultaneously, I would like to particularly underscore the key objectives of the new national projects, which I have just mentioned.

Firstly, life expectancy in those regions and population groups (as I have just mentioned) where it lags behind the national average must increase at an accelerated pace. As previously stated, we need to strive to reduce this disparity.

Secondly, people in Russia must become significantly healthier, and they should get sick less frequently. I would like to emphasise that this should be achieved, among other things, through healthy lifestyle, nutrition, early disease prevention, and the effective operation of preventive medicine in general.

Thirdly, an extremely important point is that the duration of an active, good life must increase when individuals, despite their considerable age, possess the inner capacity and, most importantly, a desire to continue working, to remain, subject to respective conditions, a mentor in their profession, to devote their free time to family, grandchildren, travelling, and participation in social and public initiatives.

We agreed that the subject of the family must pervade all our national projects. I ask the Government to pay special attention to this when finalising them. We will definitely consider this aspect at the next meeting of the Council for Strategic Development and National Projects. It is also essential that national projects give priority to health protection.

The Family national project includes a lot of provisions and guidelines that closely intertwine with policies to improve the national healthcare system. The principle of a healthy nation is a healthy family in each generation. In recent years, we have taken rigorous steps to protect motherhood and childhood, including the creation of a perinatal care system with 175 cutting-edge centres across the country. An effective patient routing system has been put in place. Today, we see the lowest infant mortality rate in history (four cases per 1,000 live births).

Under the new national project, over 360 women’s health clinics will be created and new equipment will be supplied to the perinatal centres. I would like to address my colleagues from the Russian regions, the heads of the regions: you will need to pay special attention to this matter. I have visited a few facilities that do not look so good yet, let’s put it this way, and those that are considered new. It looks like we are making progress. We need to carefully monitor every step here, to make sure that new equipment is in place, and paramedics and doctors work in comfortable conditions.

We know that children’s health is the foundations of lifelong health, and further down the road, throughout our lives, we must make efforts for disease prevention, engage in physical fitness and sports.

These issues have always been an important part of Doctor Nikolai Semashko’s research interests. As far as I understand, today’s plenary session of the congress is dedicated to the 150^th birthday anniversary of the outstanding doctor and researcher.

Dr Semashko, in fact, recreated the domestic healthcare system and, most importantly, enriched it with new approaches. Moreover, his innovative ideas became guidelines for the entire world.

We will continue to enhance and develop our healthcare system, to upgrade its infrastructure. In the next six years, over a trillion rubles will be allocated to build, repair and equip medical facilities. Like before, special attention will be paid to improving primary care. As we understand, this is the most necessary part of the medical service. Its total load is over one billion visits per year.

One in three primary care institutions in the country have already been modernised. Over 140,000 pieces of medical equipment were purchased for paramedic centres, clinics, district and city hospitals. Medical care has become more accessible and convenient for millions of people. I repeat, work in this area should be continued. This is a key request of people.

Efforts to fight such serious illnesses as cancer and cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and hepatitis C will be stepped up. A respective national project contains a number of specific guidelines for introducing innovative treatment methods, including those using AI technologies. We have many innovations in this sphere.

For example, a promising digital platform is being tested in Moscow, where artificial intelligence is used to process big data on completed research, which obviously helps doctors to make a diagnosis. I visited one of these sites.

It is obvious that artificial intelligence helps a lot. But it only helps. The main part is for the doctor to do. I will not go into details, but this became obvious during the conversation and while inspecting what is being implemented there.

We should introduce an integral digital platform that would help people to maintain and preserve health throughout their entire life. It should apparently be done across the entire country.

In the future, the entire national system of public health management and protection should be built on this principle, based on the analysis of human health status carried out with artificial intelligence and all research available.

Support for medical science and technology, including research into longevity, is an absolute priority. For the first time, a new and highly needed area will emerge, namely, the expansion of nuclear medicine infrastructure, which opens up prospects for more accurate diagnostics. We already possess a number of scientific centres that conduct research in this field. We shall actively implement these achievements.

I consider disease prevention to be an extremely important aspect. This is a very broad range of objectives, which can only be achieved with the active participation of citizens themselves. Therefore, it is necessary to persistently and consistently instil in our citizens the desire to exercise, to take care of their health, and to certainly undergo routine check-ups. Apparently, it is necessary to incentivise those who regularly exercise and take a responsible attitude towards their health.

That is why, among other measures, it is envisaged that from next year tax deductions will be established for those who undergo routine check-ups and successfully pass the GTO tests. But here, too, we must keep a very close watch – you know on what, right? – so that certificates of medical check-ups are not obtained for money and GTO certificates are not issued using one’s connections. We need to fine-tune this system.

The key issue is the remuneration of healthcare staff. I attended to this issue separately in my Address to the Federal Assembly. You are aware that the salaries of healthcare workers are linked to the average salary in the regions. However, it is evident that this level varies and often differs significantly even in neighbouring constituent entities of the country. Of course, we have been discussing this with our colleagues in the Government for a long time. Naturally, such a disparity in the salaries of medical workers, teachers, and other specialists is unacceptable, this is obvious.

In 2025, we shall develop a new, fairer model of compensation for public sector employees in a number of pilot regions of the country, and in early 2027 we plan – I hope we will be able to do so – to extend this system to all public sector employees in all regions of the Russian Federation, including, of course, healthcare.

Colleagues, your Congress is undoubtedly a milestone event for our country and our citizens. Therefore, I sincerely wish you fruitful work and success in your noble and selfless efforts. And, of course, I hope that you, like all citizens of the Russian Federation, will take care of your health.

Be healthy and happy. Thank you. Thank you very much.