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The agenda included modernising the pension system, improving the quality of social and medical services, and provision of medicines for senior citizens.

Mr Medvedev noted in his remarks that the state is currently the sole provider of social services for senior citizens and called on business, NGOs and public organisations to become involved. The state authorities’ task is to create the best possible environment for this work, remove barriers, and get non-commercial organisations involved in helping to train specialists for the social services sector.

The President also called on the regional authorities to join businesses and non-commercial organisations to find ways of providing additional support for senior citizens, in particular, by reviewing possibilities for opening networks of social shops, giving people better access to telephone, digital television and internet connections, and organising transport services.

Mr Medvedev proposed putting in place the conditions that would enable pensioners who want to do so to work and obtain retraining, and drawing up special employment programmes for them.

The President said that he plans to take a number of measures over the coming period to improve the quality of services for senior citizens.

During his working visit to Kursk Region, Mr Medvedev also visited a number of businesses in the social services sector and had a working meeting with Kursk Region Governor Alexander Mikhailov.