Russian President, Representatives of the government and public organizations have sent greetings to participants and guests of Healthy Life Forum: Towards 80+, which will be held on 13 February as part of the opening day of the Russian Investment Forum.

Russian President Vladimir Putin underscored the timely nature of the agenda to be discussed. “Such issues as improving people’s health and enhancing the quality and life expectancy of the older generation are an important national goal and a priority for the work of government bodies at all levels. For this reason, it is gratifying that these topics hold a key place on the agenda of your Forum, which has brought together reputable scientists, doctors, heads of relevant ministries and departments, and representatives of the expert and business communities in Sochi”, Putin said in his address. 

Russian Minister of Health Veronika Skvortsova said in her greeting that an integrated approach needs to be taken to programmes in health, demographics, science, and education in order to achieve the goals set forth in the national projects. “The implementation of public health programmes is particularly important, including ensuring safe working conditions, combatting non-communicable diseases, reducing alcohol and tobacco consumption, and promoting active longevity and an active lifestyle”, stated in the Ministry’s greeting.

President of the Foundation for Social and Cultural Initiatives Svetlana Medvedeva noted the importance of the topics that are being covered at the event: demographic problems, awareness about the dangers of serious diseases as well as establishing a healthy lifestyle from an early age. “A healthy nation and long life expectancy are key to the prosperity of any state. The foundations of longevity are established at an early age. That is why it is so important to focus on the upbringing of the country’s younger generation as well as developing and creating youth schools and sports centres so that our children have the opportunity to spend their leisure time in a healthy manner”, Medvedeva said in her greeting.

Svetlana Medvedeva noted that increasing life expectancy – the Forum’s issue  – would be impossible without the continuous development of the healthcare system and improvements in treatment methods. “According to statistics worldwide, 70% of deaths are caused by diseases of the circulatory system, respiratory system, diabetes, and cancer. Unfortunately, these figures are increasing every year. Early detection makes it possible to identify the disease at an early stage, select an effective treatment, and defeat the disease as a result”, Medvedeva added.

President of the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexander Sergeyev addressed the Forum guests and organizers on behalf of the academy. He said he was confident that the socially significant proposals made at Healthy Life Forum: Towards 80+ will be successfully implemented within the framework of the national projects that aim to ensure sustainable population growth and increase life expectancy in Russia.

“I am confident that the Forum will create a unique opportunity to search for and work on practical proposals for the implementation of national projects that aim to solve the problem of increasing the life expectancy of Russian citizens,” Sergeyev said.

The full program of Healthy Life Forum: Towards 80+ is available on the event’s website.