Vladimir Putin held a meeting at the Kremlin on upgrading primary healthcare.
Key items on the agenda were principles of upgrading primary healthcare, the sources and scale of funding for regional programmes, and improving the pay system for medical workers.
The President heard, in part, a report by Healthcare Minister Veronika Skvortsova.
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Beginning of meeting on upgrading primary healthcare
President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, colleagues.
Today we will continue to discuss primary care, which is one of the most important matters for almost everyone, every Russian family.
We have already discussed this, and we will continue the discussion today. I asked the Government to come up with corresponding proposals by October 1. I hope to hear from them today.
I have emphasised how sensitive this subject is for our people, because it is mostly about rural healthcare clinics, district outpatient clinics, district and inter-district hospitals and the like. That is, the institutions that people visit most often, and with which they interact almost every day of their lives.
Of course, what matters is not just what people think about healthcare, which is also important because they assess the state’s effectiveness in this important area.
More importantly, the effectiveness and quality of this work define many important parameters such as life expectancy, demographics and the health of the nation in the broad sense of the word.
Of course, we will continue to discuss these issues with the governors, including at a meeting of the State Council, which will be convened specifically for this purpose in late October.
Let us hear what the Government has to say in terms of proposals.
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