Transcript of the beginning of the meeting:
Dmitry Medvedev: Mr Magomedov, first of all I would like to congratulate you and all the people of the republic on a very important event that took place today: the opening of the Gimra tunnel. We had waited a long time for this to happen. There were plans to construct the tunnel in the Soviet period. This is an important passage that links mountainous regions of the republic with other areas. It provides quicker and more comfortable transportation across the republic, so it's good that this has happened. I’d like to thank everyone who was involved in the tunnel construction, as any tunnel is of course a complex, high-tech structure, which is not cheap to build. But it is very important for the development of the republic and the entire Caucasus Region.
Today we are holding a meeting of the Governmental Commission for the Development of the North Caucasus. We will discuss the main problems, the most essential ones being education and healthcare. We have just visited Dagestan State Medical Academy, spoke with the academic teaching staff there, and discussed ways of developing medical education, and providing medical services.
It is obvious that Dagestan, as the largest North Caucasus republic, in growing very rapidly. Its population is expanding, which creates an additional load for the medical network and of course for preschool institutions and schools. We spoke about the necessity to establish a perinatal centre, considering the birth rate and problems with rendering medical services during this period. And we must also consider the issues of preschool education, the establishment of new schools, as the existing ones are highly overloaded. Schooling there takes place in three shifts. This requires funding, so I suppose the relevant federal share of financing must be taken into consideration during the drafting of the programme for the development of the North Caucasus in the near future. I would like to ask for your suggestions.
Magomedsalam Magomedov: Mr Medvedev, thank you for your congratulations and the congratulation on the opening of the Gimra tunnel. This is important for the republic, for many of its citizens. This is a truly important event, without exaggeration. Such facilities have not been commissioned for a long time. This is an instance in which we can talk about good working achievements. And the constructors did… I’d like to thank you, of course, Mr Medvedev, for your unwavering support for and control over the tunnel’s construction. I’d like to thank Russian President Vladimir Putin, who gave an order for tunnel reconstruction. And today we can report with satisfaction that the order that you and the President issued has been fulfilled. We have proven once again that the citizens of Dagestan are constructive people, that they can work. The tunnel is very important. Hundreds of thousands of people will feel comfortable and safe in it. The economic benefit from the functioning of this complicated and expensive facility is worth all the investment, and I would once again like to express thanks from all the people of Dagestan.
I’d also like to express thanks and say that you were absolutely right when you said that our republic is the next region where a meeting of the commission for the issues of healthcare and education should be held. For us, the general development of social infrastructure and of the sectors is probably the most problematic, and is due to historic circumstances, objective reasons, and as you said, high birth rates and special demographic behaviour. Our population growth is really very stable and the tempos are high. And such regions as Dagestan certainly require different approaches for the formation of social infrastructure. I think this is the case with other our neighbours. We must build schools, hospitals, cultural and sport institutions at a fast rate, but healthcare and education are the most important areas, of course. Thank you also for your support, during the meeting with the teaching staff of the Medical Academy, of the suggestion for the construction of a perinatal centre. This link is necessary for our medical network, without which normal functioning of the republic’s healthcare system will be hindered. There are a lot of deliveries, and many women require special care, there are pathologies, and the death rate among children is high. In this situation the republic needs a perinatal centre. If you support us and we construct it, this will help improve the state of affairs as regards the birth rate and reducing children’s mortality rates.
I’d like to direct your attention again, Mr Medvedev, to the fact that the republic faces a number of difficulties, as we are supported by federal allocations and have to address the Finance Ministry for the issues of construction of schools. This makes expansion of the network hard for us.
Dmitry Medvedev: Everyone has always contacted the Finance Ministry.
Magomedsalam Magomedov: Regions which have a different situation and a stable population do require expansion.
Dmitry Medvedev: That’s true.
Magomedsalam Magomedov: And where it is growing… I’d also like to ask you to pay attention to that.
I’d like to say that if education and healthcare are prioritised by the programme for the development of the North Caucasus Federal District that you ordered for submission by December 2012, I think even the issues of the creation of new jobs, new facilities, and the implementation of investment projects will be carried out in a much simpler way. If the state helps us settle the problems of healthcare and education, we can solve other problems ourselves. For that we have good investment projects. Russian and foreign investors show a lot of interest in these projects, but we can not resolve infrastructure issues on our own. And here I think the decisions of the Governmental Commission, your decisions as Prime Minister will be decisive.
Dmitry Medvedev: Of course, the main aspects of education and healthcare will remain the state’s key objectives for the next few years and decades. We will not make individuals responsible for that, it is impossible to transfer it to the level of private business, even though of course it is possible and necessary to attract private investors in co-financing. But in general education and healthcare remain free of charge and are the state’s priority issues. For that reason our budget allocates substantial funding for the development of these two very important areas of life.
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