On 27 October 2020, the Rossiya Segodnya International Multimedia Press Centre hosted the Healthy Life Forum. The event’s business programme brought together representatives of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, the World Health Organization, federal and regional government bodies, the medical community, and various unions and associations, along with renowned experts in the field. The event was held under the slogan “Responding to global challenges”. It was organized by the Roscongress Foundation, with the Content Foundation for Expertise and Analysis as knowledge partner. Support was provided by the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation.

President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin sent his personal greetings to participants, organizers and guests of the Healthy Life Forum. He noted that in spite of the challenges that are currently being faced, the Forum managed to bring together doctors, scientists, experts, and representatives of relevant agencies. He also highlighted the fact that the issues under discussion are of national importance, and that there needs to be coordinated action between the state and civic institutions.

More than 6,000 people from more than 10 countries participated in the event online, including from the US, Belarus, Denmark, the Netherlands, Switzerland, China, Finland, France, and Austria.

“The challenges and tasks that the healthcare sector faces today have required changes to be implemented at an unprecedented scale and speed. Indeed, there has virtually been an entire overhaul of the sector in order to protect the health of Russia’s citizens. The Healthy Life Forum has a number of key objectives to support the expert community. These include sharing experience between Russia’s regions on tackling the coronavirus, presenting best international practices in healthcare, and developing the solutions needed to further improve the healthcare system during the pandemic,” said Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation Anton Kobyakov.

The plenary session of the Healthy Life Forum was entitled “New Paradigm of Healthcare: Responding to Global Challenges”. Among those taking part were Galina Karelova, Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation; Mikhail Murashko, Minister of Health of the Russian Federation; Anna Popova, Head of the Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare (Rospotrebnadzor); Hans Henri P. Kluge, Regional Director for Europe at the World Health Organization; Stanislav Voskresensky, Governor of Ivanovo Region; Alexander Petrov, Chairman of the Subcommittee for Drug Circulation and the Development of the Pharmaceutical and Medical Industries (part of the State Duma of the Russian Federation’s Committee on Health Protection); and Sofia Malyavina, General Director of National Priorities.

“Russia’s healthcare system has come up against a number of new challenges in the current environment. One of these is the spread of the coronavirus. These new conditions and challenges have defined a new role for healthcare in the country. In addition, priorities within the system are also changing. Additional opportunities are emerging as a result of the progress being made in science, the digital sphere, cell technology and biotechnology. The Russian medicine sector has once again made a scientific breakthrough, registering the world’s first coronavirus vaccine,” said Galina Karelova, Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.

The event saw a range of panel sessions take place on current issues surrounding healthcare. These included “COVID-19 Vaccine: Working Towards the Goal”, “Lessons from the Pandemic: Time for Quick Decisions Without Any Room for Mistakes”, “Modernization of the Personnel Support System as a Response to the Challenge of Our Times”, “Caring for the Older Generation as an Important Focus of Social Policy: The Challenge in Times of the Current COVID-19 Challenge”, “HIV and COVID-19: Enhanced Risk Control”, “Type 2 Diabetes: A Key Focus of Public Responsibility”, “Countering COVID-19: New Formats in the Fight against Cancer”, “Availability of Medicines: Intellectual Property Protection as a Strategy Tool”, and “Identifying a Strategy for Demographic Development by 2030: Making Decisions in an Era of Upheaval”.

“We are providing medical care at a time when the number of people coming for inpatient and outpatient treatment is at a high. Our focus is on an illness which cannot be controlled by pharmaceutical drugs. There is not yet a treatment which would cause a dramatic shift in the balance of power. During this period, measures to counter the epidemic are vital. We need to help those in need, and adhere to all safety measures and measures aimed at preventing the spread of the disease. Only together, and by staying united, will we be able to defeat the coronavirus,” said Mikhail Murashko, Minister of Health of the Russian Federation.

The Healthy Life Forum also saw a number of cooperation agreements being signed. The Content Foundation (the Roscongress Foundation’s platform for expertise and analysis in healthcare) signed agreements with the Russian Union of Public Patients’ Associations, the Association of Healthcare Administrators, the Scientific Research Institute for the Organization of Healthcare and Medical Management under the City of Moscow’s Department of Health, and the Russian Society for the Organization of Healthcare and Public Health. Each of these agreements aims to establish a partnership and foster effective strategic collaboration over the long term, with a view to implementing projects in healthcare, medicine, and science.

Anna Popova, Head of the Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare (Rospotrebnadzor), gave an exclusive interview on vaccine development and the prospects for vaccinating the population against the coronavirus. The interview was conducted by Sergey Brilev, television presenter, Deputy Director of Rossiya TV Channel, and President of the Bering-Bellingshausen Institute for the Americas.

Among those who took part in events on the business programme were Oleg Salagay, Deputy Minister of Health of the Russian Federation; Tatyana Semenova, Deputy Minister of Health of the Russian Federation; Oleg Gridnev, Deputy Minister of Health of the Russian Federation; Olga Batalina, Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Protection of the Russian Federation; Oleg Nikolaev, Governor of the Chuvash Republic; Andrey Nikitin, Governor of Novgorod Region; Andrey Nazarov, Prime Minister of the Government of the Republic of Bashkortostan; Marina Abramova, Director of Roscultcentre; Grigory Ivliev, Head of the Federal Service for Intellectual Property (Rospatent); João Breda, Head of the World Health Organization’s European Office for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases; Anna Kuznetsova, Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights; Francesco Giorgino, President of the Italian Society of Endocrinology (SIE), Professor of Endocrinology, and Chief of the Endocrinology Division of University Hospital Policlinico Consorziale, University of Bari Aldo Moro; Andrey Prilutsky, Minister of Health of Ryazan Region; Andrey Kaprin, Director of the National Medical Research Radiological Centre of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation; Carina Ferreira-Borges, Programme Manager at the World Health Organization’s European Office for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases; Alexander Rumyantsev, President of the Dmitry Rogachev National Research Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology of the Russian Ministry of Health; and Nicole Seguy, HIV and Hepatitis Unit Lead at the World Health Organization’s Regional Office for Europe.

“Efforts to produce expert analysis were stepped up significantly this year at the Forum. Each session on the business programme resulted in a range of practical steps and proposals being drawn up to aid development in the healthcare sector. We have drawn conclusions from the professional work done over the year across our key areas of focus. These include oncology, diabetes, personnel in healthcare, and demography. This was the first time that the Healthy Life Forum took place as a hybrid event. This enabled us to substantially increase the audience and range of countries represented,” said Anastasia Stolkova, Head of Healthcare Directorate and First Deputy CEO for Development at the Roscongress Foundation.

The business programme of the Healthy Life Forum also incorporated an EAWF Lounge (Eurasian Women’s Forum) event entitled “Creative Industries and Medicine: Is There Scope for Synergy?” The event was organized by the Innosocium Foundation (the Roscongress Foundation’s social platform) and the Roscongress Foundation’s Healthy Life initiative. Opening the discussion was Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council Galina Karelova. It was moderated by RTVI General Producer, musician and poet Sergey Shnurov.

Among the Healthy Life Forum’s media partners were Russia 24, Ruptly, RNS, Gazeta.ru, Lenta.ru, the Doctor television channel, Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Argumenty I Fakty, Komsomolskaya Pravda, Стопкоронавирус.рф, Farmatsevtichesky Vestnik, Medvestnik, Zdravookhranenie Rossii, Remedium, and the Russky Vrach Publishing House.

Business programme partners included Johnson & Johnson, GlaxoSmithKline Trading, MSD Pharmaceuticals, and Novo Nordisk. Boehringer Ingelheim and Bayer were Forum partners.

The Forum was streamed live on the official event website, the Rossiya Segodnya International Multimedia Press Centre website, the Roscongress Foundation’s YouTube channel and social media pages, and the Content Foundation’s YouTube channel.

For more information, visit the Forum website: forumhealth.ru.