The Healthy Life Forum, which was held for the first time with official delegations from CIS countries, has concluded in St. Petersburg. The Forum was attended by roughly 800 people from 57 regions of Russia and 17 countries: Azerbaijan, Armenia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Luxembourg, Moldova, Belarus, Cyprus, the United States, Serbia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, France, Switzerland, and Nigeria. In addition, eight official foreign delegations from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, Serbia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan took part in the Forum.

For the first time, the Forum included a summit of health ministers from CIS countries, which was attended by Armenian Minister of Health Anahit Avanesyan, Kazakh Minister of Health Azhar Giniyat, Kyrgyz Minister of Health Gulnara Baatyrova, Belarusian Minister of Health Dmitry Pinevich, and Uzbek Minister of Health Amrillo Inoyatov.

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent greetings to the participants and guests of the Healthy Life Forum. The greetings were read out by Russian Minister of Health Mikhail Murashko prior to the start of the plenary session.

Russian officials who took part in the Forum included: Russian Minister of Health Mikhail Murashko, Deputy Chairwoman of the Russian Federation Council Galina Karelova, Leningrad Region Governor Alexander Drozdenko, Secretary General of the Council of the Interparliamentary Assembly of CIS Member States Dmitry Kobitsky, World Health Organization Representative in Russia Melita Vujnovich, Director of the Russian Federal Service for Surveillance in Healthcare Alla Samoylova, and Russian Federal Compulsory Medical Insurance Fund Chairman Ilya Balanin, among others.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov and St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov also sent greetings to the participants.

The participants also included deputy governors for social policy, regional ministers of health, representatives of NPOs and businesses, chief doctors, rectors and university professors, senior officials from the Russian Federal Service for Surveillance in Healthcare and the Russian Federal Compulsory Medical Insurance Fund, as well as experts from the Russian Ministry of Health and subordinate organizations, including the National Medical Research Centre.

Russian Minister of Health Mikhail Murashko chaired the plenary session with the participation of ministers and deputy ministers from CIS countries. He noted the importance of a patient-centred approach in medicine and the need for the digital transformation of the healthcare industry: “When we talk about the healthcare system being people-oriented, we are essentially talking about a block that accompanies people throughout their life’s journey. There are three key stages: we nourish health, we preserve health, and we support quality of life at different stages of life. The digital transformation of healthcare is a priority for almost all the countries attending today. Among other things, the emphasis is on the primary link, infrastructure, the introduction of innovations and scientific developments, preserving the accessibility of the drug market for patients, and the quality of medical products.”

Armenian Minister of Health Anahit Avanesyan expressed her gratitude to the Forum organizers and for the opportunity to meet and discuss key health challenges and ways to solve them: “Today, more than ever, we understand that public health issues and improving the well-being of the population of our countries require comprehensive cooperation, and no individual country is capable of solving health problems alone. This is why we highly appreciate the initiative to gather here, in the northern capital of Russia, and discuss the most important issues for us.” During her speech, Avanesyan outlined the steps the Armenian government is taking to improve the healthcare system, as well as its vision for developing healthcare systems through international cooperation, in particular within the CIS and the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC).

Belarusian Minister of Health Dmitry Pinevich noted that the Forum has an impressive agenda and range of experts. “We have a common base and, indeed, within the union state [between Russia and Belarus], we have actually identified all our joint steps within the framework of the EurAsEC and the CIS. The broader the scope of our joint interaction, the stronger we are, and the stronger we are in terms of resources, including working out the most successful common steps.”

Kazakh Minister of Health Azhar Giniyat said: “We fully support the Forum’s motto ‘A Space for Cooperation in the Name of Health’, since healthcare is a unique platform within which the interests of all mankind coincide.” Giniyat spoke about the priorities of the Kazakh healthcare system, which are reflected in the Healthy Nation national project.

Kyrgyz Minister of Health Gulnara Baatyrova expressed her gratitude for organizing the Healthy Life Forum, which “will be able to stimulate the development of primary healthcare and improve the prevention of non-communicable diseases, which are the highest priority areas in the healthcare system of our countries.”

Uzbek Minister of Health Amrillo Inoyatov emphasized that, since its inception, the CIS has been working to strengthen interaction between its members and stressed the role of such cooperation in combatting the pandemic: “We highly appreciate Uzbek-Russian cooperation in the healthcare sector. It is gratifying to note that this cooperation, especially in recent years, is becoming multilateral in nature. Uzbekistan recognizes the importance of strengthening cooperation in healthcare and developing high technologies and the pharmaceutical industry in the Commonwealth to ensure the health of citizens.”

Russian companies presented some of their innovative developments at the Forum’s exhibition space. In addition, visitors viewed the works of the finalists of the Russian photo contest ‘Medics at Work’. The competition was organized by the Russian Research Institute of Health of the Russian Ministry of Health.

In an effort to present the best practices and exchange experience, the Healthy Life Forum participants paid visits to medical, educational, and scientific centres, as well as advanced pharmaceutical production facilities.

The Healthy Life Forum was organized by the Roscongress Foundation’s Healthy Life project and the Russian Ministry of Health. The Forum was held with the support of the Interparliamentary Assembly of CIS Member States, the government of the Leningrad Region, and the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Official website of the event: forumhealth.ru

Telegram channel: t.me/healthy_project