In her greeting address, the Minister of Healthcare said that the congress had gathered experts from 85 countries to prove the world recognition of Russian perinatal medicine.
“We greatly appreciate the recognition of the development of Russian perinatology in the recent years,” said Ms Skvortsova as she stressed that mothers’ and babies’ health was top priority of Russian government policy in healthcare.
She cited eloquent facts and figures to illustrate the latest developments in Russian perinatology:
“Unprecedentedly much has been done in Russia to reduce maternal and infant mortality: 11.5 mothers died in childbirth per 100,000 live births in 2012 against 47.4 in 1990. Maternal mortality was reduced 4.5-fold, and almost by 30% last year alone. Infant mortality was 17.4 per 1,000 births in 1990, and 7.3 in 2011 – 2.5 times less, so Russia had all grounds to switch to international standards of newborn babies’ registration in 2012.”
The entire infrastructure of perinatology was upgraded in 2011-2012. The logistics of medical aid to babies and pregnant women was thoroughly changed. More than 1,100 maternity wards with total 110,000 beds were entirely re-equipped, and a majority of Russian regions received new high-tech perinatal centres.
Simulation centres for doctor training are powerful development vehicles of perinatal medicine. 1,500 Russian doctors and more than a thousand of their colleagues from developing countries studied at eight new centres last year alone.
“The positive changes of these last years give reason for optimism and are highly appreciated by the World Health Organisation – and we have a great potential for further progress,” Ms Skvortsova said.
Source: Ministry of Healthcare
