MOSCOW, June 23 (RIA Novosti) – The Russian authorities will support perinatal medicine, develop neonatal surgery and build perinatal centers, President Vladimir Putin said at the XI World Congress of Perinatal Medicine.
“Our duty is to fight for the life of each child. Last year, Russia switched over to birth record criteria recommended by the WHO,” the Kremlin quoted Putin as saying on Saturday at the congress, which was held in Moscow June 19-22 and gathered over 2,000 participants from 91 countries.
“We began investing considerable state funds into that very important branch of healthcare, and will keep doing so,” the president said.
He said protection of mothers and children was a priority of Russia’s state and social policy.
Noting that “58 modern perinatal centers actively work in the country’s regions,” Putin said Russia will build more such centers for specialized medical assistance to become available to mothers and children living in remote regions. He said a large federal perinatal center would open in 2014 in Moscow.