Dear friends,

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the Healthy Life Forum: Towards 80+.

Another page in Sochi’s history has been written with this event. For the first time, this welcoming location on the Black Sea will host a specialized forum which has been tasked with identifying pathways to achieve overarching national objectives. We have a number of major topics to discuss, as well as proposals to develop on improving the demographic situation, increasing life expectancy, and increasing the efficiency of medicine provision. The Russian Investment Forum’s communication platform affords excellent opportunities for this kind of multifaceted and multilateral collaboration. It is an event known for its constructive dialogue between representatives of government bodies, the scientific sector, the expert community, the business sphere, and specialized institutions and NGOs, who examine the most pressing issues affecting socioeconomic development in Russia.

Today, an incredible amount of scrutiny is directed towards healthcare. Russian Presidential Decree No. 204, “On the Russian Federation’s national targets and strategic objectives for the period to 2024” issued on 7 May 2018 has led to the development of 12 priority projects. Of these, healthcare is in top spot. Indeed, other aims and objectives for the country’s socioeconomic development largely hinge on progress made in healthcare; namely, to increase life expectancy to 78 by 2024 and 80 by 2030, and to improve overall health and quality of life in Russia.

On behalf of the Russian Academy of Sciences, I would like to offer a very warm welcome to participants and guests of the Healthy Life Forum: Towards 80+.

I have no doubt that the Forum can become a dedicated platform for direct dialogue between government and the expert community, creating a unique opportunity to seek and develop practical proposals for implementing the national projects aimed at tackling the issue of improving life expectancy for Russian citizens.

I hope that you will all enjoy interesting discussions and I wish every Forum participant health, prosperity, and success in their future creative endeavours!

It is crucial to create an environment which promotes active ageing, with consideration given to the potential and needs of each individual. Work in this regard is well under way. The Demography national project sets out a federal project entitled Older Generation, which includes steps to create a system for providing long-term care for the elderly and disabled. A package of measures to build this system has been developed by the ASI in cooperation with the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection.

In addition, 2018 saw the launch of a pilot project in six regions. It aims to create a system providing balanced social services and medical care at home (both for short- and long-term needs) through employing visiting nurses and personal carers, and supporting the provision of family care.

I am convinced that a successful country in the 21st century will be the one able to make full use of the potential offered by the older generation to improve society.

Is there any need to expound upon why health is to be treasured above all else? It is an indisputable fact, and one which I would like to develop further with another axiom: a healthy society is the key to a healthy economy. The increase of life expectancy to 78 years by 2030, and to 80 years by 2030 is one of the Russian Federation’s national development goals the President set for the government in 2018. Currently, life expectancy stands at 72.7 years, which means there is a great deal of work to be done. Only by working together will we be able to see tangible shifts in the right direction. Events such as the Healthy Life Forum: Towards 80+ represent a huge step on the path to achieving this goal, which after all requires close collaboration between the government, the expert community, and naturally, business. The Forum provides a unique platform for this to happen. The structure of the conference merits special attention, split as it is into three sections examining healthcare, demographic issues, and building an infrastructure for healthy living. This will serve to create a comprehensive approach and help draw up fundamental solutions to move confidently towards achieving our goal. As we do so, we will draw upon the opinions of all stakeholders and work for the good of millions of Russians.

Joining the 80+ club is very much an achievable goal, but in order to get there, a great deal of progress needs to be made in terms of healthcare, people’s attitude to their health, early diagnosis, government support for breakthrough projects, and establishing an effective regulatory system which would allow new technologies to be implemented quickly and easily. Finally, we are in need of major discussion platforms so that a dialogue between all stakeholders can be established, common areas of interest be identified, and unnecessary barriers removed. In light of this, the Healthy Life Forum: Towards 80+ will perform a vital function.

For the first time at the Russian Investment Forum, an entire day has been allocated to the topic of healthcare. This is with good reason. The far-reaching decree issued by the President in May set forth a new national target: to increase life expectancy in Russia to 78 by 2024, with 67 healthy years of life. This is a task which hinges on a number of factors. Success depends upon income levels, people’s lifestyles, the accessibility and quality of medical care, and the environmental situation. However, the main driver of change is of course the healthcare sector, which is bringing together the efforts of all parties involved. The topics covered at the upcoming event revolve around the creation of a balanced system which is focused on achieving the goals which have been set. This includes the effective implementation of the Healthcare and Demography national projects. We need to motivate people to lead a healthy lifestyle, provide accessible and high‑quality primary care, fight oncological and cardiovascular diseases, achieve global WHO targets to reduce mortality from infectious diseases, create an effective medicine provision system for the population, informatize the healthcare sector, and improve quality of life among the older generation. The need to achieve these targets will provide a powerful stimulus to not only develop the healthcare system, but medical science and supporting industries, such as the medicine production, pharmaceutical, and IT sectors. This, in turn, will lead to an increase in investment in the nation’s economy from Russian and international companies.