The agenda includes the distribution of unregistered medicines for patients with neurological disorders; the expansion of a pilot project to involve businesses in the provision of social services; and preparation of the sports infrastructure for the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.
Mikhail Mishustin’s opening remarks:
Good afternoon, colleagues.
Let’s begin with the matters related to the implementation of social obligations, the importance of which the President has mentioned on numerous occasions.
The Government will change the procedure for the distribution of unregistered medicines for patients with neurological and other disorders, namely narcotic and psychotropic drugs that are not yet produced domestically. Patients are entitled to receive them free of charge at outpatient clinics, but this involved a long and complicated procedure for registering applications from the regions. One of the reasons is that the import, storage and marketing of narcotic and psychotropic medicines are strictly regulated. This often results in situations where one region lacks such medicines, while others have more than enough, or for some patients a medicine doesn’t work, while other people have only just been diagnosed and are in the process of completing the necessary documents.
But patients can’t wait. The shortage of medicines is forcing people to bring them from foreign trips or buy them online from uncertified sellers, thereby violating the Russian law and risking obtaining counterfeit medicines. To prevent this and to help people get the necessary medicines promptly and legally, the Government has approved a procedure for their redistribution. The regions will be able to exchange unused stocks of such medicines. With this aim in view, they will submit quarterly reports on unused medicines to the Ministry of Industry and Trade. It will monitor the situation and supervise the redistribution process so that people receive the necessary medication.
This new procedure will be effective for the next three years. In the meantime, the production of such medicines is to be established in Russia.
Here is another important subject. The Government will increase the number of regions where social services can be provided not only by government agencies but also private businesses. This pilot project was launched in 2020 in 16 regions. Thirteen more regions will be joining it now.
Our main goal is to improve the quality and accessibility of social services, and to create a competitive market where people will have a choice of organisations that offer such services. We will collaborate with private businesses that offer health and recreation services, provide palliative care and help people find jobs.
At the same time, non-profit organisations will be entitled to government support so that they can provide quality services at affordable prices. This is extremely important, because people who depend on others for help must be as comfortable as possible.
Now, as regards preparations of the sports infrastructure for the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. The event will be held in 2023 in two cities, Omsk and Novosibirsk. Active work is underway there to build ice sports facilities. These are large and complicated projects, which is why the federal centre is helping the regions involved by co-financing them. This year, the Government will allocate an additional 2.5 billion roubles to the Omsk Region for the construction of the Arena Omsk.
The construction of these two ice sports facilities is to be completed in 2022. We must do our best so that this major international tournament is organised at the highest possible level.