Measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus and provide medical aid to people with chronic serious illnesses during the current situation.
Mikhail Mishustin’s opening remarks:
Good afternoon, colleagues,
Meeting of the Presidium of the Government Coordination Council to control the incidence of novel coronavirus infection in the Russian Federation
We continue to take preventive measures to curb the spread of the dangerous infection, protect people and support the most hard-hit enterprises and industries. The second package of support measures has come into effect, and hundreds of billions of roubles have been allocated to implement it. It is important to ensure that this serious money reaches specific recipients – families with children, the unemployed and small and medium-sized businesses – as soon as possible. People do not need loud rhetoric but direct financial help. President Putin has said this so many times.
Colleagues, everyone must act faster, especially at the regional level; all the necessary decisions have been made at the federal level, and money from the federal budgets has reached the regions. I am asking heads of ministries and agencies as well as governors to personally monitor how quickly the relevant support measures reach people and organisations and to report weekly. At the same time, please do not forget about additional regional support measures.
In parallel, rapid tests will be carried out in the Russian regions to get an objective picture of whether people have received the help they were promised, in what volume and within what time frame and what else needs to be done by the federal Government and by governors. I am also instructing the Government’s Executive Office to monitor the reach of budget money. I am waiting for reports on this, at least twice a month. Mr Grigorenko, I am asking you to organise this work and oversee it accordingly.
Colleagues, last week I held a meeting on the readiness of the healthcare system in the regions to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus infection. This issue is constantly monitored by the President as well. It is clear that the number of patients as well as the level of equipment differs from region to region. However, medical institutions in every region without exception must have everything necessary to treat patients. This is why we are drawing on the reserves to allocate medicines, medical equipment and everything necessary to equip hospital beds to receive patients. Some of these supplies will be sent to the medical institutions in the regions that need it most, and others will be given to the Ministry of Defence to equip hospitals under construction. This amounts in total to more than 100 million roubles.
Moreover, we are continuing to deploy mobile hospitals in regions through the Emergency Ministry. One of them has been operating in the Murmansk Region for more than two weeks. A mobile hospital in Yakutia is also ready for deployment. We will continue to monitor the situation in the regions and address problems if necessary.
There is another important topic. We have said many times that during the countering of the coronavirus people with other diseases, including serious and rare ones, must not be left without assistance. They need accessible and high-quality medicines. Since 1 January 2020, people with two other rare diseases – serum prothrombin conversion accelerator deficiency and aplastic anemia – have been added to the list of patients with the right to free medicines. They need accessible and quality medicines. We have put aside an additional two billion roubles in the federal budget to purchase the necessary medicines. I will sign the corresponding Government directive.
Colleagues, I would like to note that people with serious chronic illnesses that need checkups and constant treatment are being refused medical aid. We receive constant complaints about this. Let me stress once again: this must not happen. I would like to ask the Ministry of Healthcare together with the Federal Service for Surveillance in Healthcare to constantly monitor this situation and report weekly on the results.
At the end of last week Tatyana Golikova and Rospotrebnadzor Head Anna Popova held an in-depth meeting with Russia’s leading doctors, scientists, epidemiologists and virologists. They had a detailed discussion on the spread of the coronavirus in Russia and the effectiveness of the measures taken by the Government and regional authorities to prevent its spread. The participants in the meeting voiced their ideas and proposals on the restrictive measure strategy, including on whether it might be possible to change it and if so, when.
Ms Golikova, I am asking you and Ms Popova to summarise all the proposals and recommendations made by the experts and based on this, to develop a framework and methodical recommendations depending on the situation in every region. Last Friday I issued the relevant instruction. Soon it will be necessary to report to the President on possible options for altering the restrictive measures recommended by specialists, taking into consideration the epidemiological developments.
Let us get down to discussing today’s issues.
