Mikhail Mishustin: “I would like to ask the Healthcare Minister and heads of regions to personally oversee assistance to medical facilities and to patients who are being treated at home. This includes test kits, personal protection equipment and medication. Patients in need of hospital care must be provided with the opportunity to be hospitalised. No patient should remain without medical help.”
Excerpts from the transcript:
Meeting of the Government Coordination Council to control the incidence of novel coronavirus infection in the Russian Federation
Mikhail Mishustin: Good afternoon, colleagues.
Meeting of the Government Coordination Council to control the incidence of novel coronavirus infection in the Russian Federation
Today we are holding another meeting of the presidium of the Government Coordination Council to control the incidence of novel coronavirus infection in the Russian Federation. The situation remains complicated. Regions have received the funds allocated from the federal budget for countering COVID-19 and each region must be provided with the necessary means to treat patients, including test kits, personal protection equipment and, of course, medication.
I would like to ask the Healthcare Minister and heads of regions to personally oversee assistance to medical facilities and to patients who are being treated at home. They must receive medication immediately after their diagnosis rather than having to visit pharmacies themselves. This matter needs a prompt solution. Patients in need of hospital care must be provided with the opportunity to be hospitalised. Therefore, all regions must be provided with reserve hospital beds for coronavirus patients. No patient should remain without medical help.
We are grateful to our doctors for fighting for every single life day after day. The government is continuing to support healthcare workers who are taking care of coronavirus patients and those from at-risk categories. We allocated 26 billion roubles for this purpose. Some 400,000 medical workers will be paid monthly benefits from these funds until the end of the year.
However, the situation regarding the coronavirus in Russia and the world has shown that it is important to promptly diagnose not only this but other infectious diseases as well and predict the epidemiological situation in the country. Efficient preventive measures must be taken based on this data. This requires the modernisation of laboratories.
The government will allocate more than 800 million roubles to purchase the latest laboratory equipment for the facilities of the Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare. The equipment will be used to diagnose the coronavirus and other infections. Early diagnosis not only facilitates the timely provision of medical help to patients but also helps prevent the spread of the infection and exposing other people to the disease.
This year, due to COVID-19, the government has taken measures to simplify the work of many organisations, including in healthcare. Scheduled inspections of medical organisations have been suspended, which is especially important in the current circumstances. Doctors need to be relieved of unnecessary procedures in order to concentrate on their immediate tasks. Therefore, we are extending the freeze on scheduled inspections at healthcare facilities for one more year. I am asking the Healthcare Ministry and other competent agencies to promptly develop and submit a relevant draft federal law to the government.
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