On June 25, within the framework of the XIII Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia, the Republican Clinical Medical Center of the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Belarus hosted Sectional Session No. 6 "Strategic Directions for Cooperation in the Healthcare Sector of the Union State."

The Forum organizers: the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus and the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.

The moderators of Section No. 6 were:

from the Republic of Belarus – Deputy Chair of the Standing Commission of the Council of the Republic on Education, Science, Culture and Social Development, Chief Physician of RCMC, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, Honored Doctor of the Republic of Belarus Irina Stepanovna Abelskaya,

from the Russian Federation – First Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Social Policy, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, Honored Doctor of the Russian Federation Zhanna Yuryevna Chefranova.

The sectional session was attended by 80 participants: members of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus and the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, representatives of the leadership of the Ministries of Health of Belarus and Russia, healthcare and educational organizations of the two countries, the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, and the federal territory "Sirius" (RF).

Prior to the start of the sectional session, participants viewed the photo exhibition "Belarus. Takeoff," dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the development of sovereign Belarus.

At the beginning of the sectional session, the moderators I.S. Abelskaya and Zh.Yu. Chefranova delivered opening remarks.

Reports on the development of the healthcare systems of the two countries were presented by:

-         First Deputy Minister of Health of the Republic of Belarus Elena Leonidovna Bogdan – on the prospects for implementing the Main Directions for implementing the provisions of the Treaty on the Establishment of the Union State for the new period of 2027-2029 in the field of healthcare;

-         First Deputy Minister of Health of the Russian Federation Vladimir Anatolyevich Zelensky – on ensuring equal rights for citizens of Russia and Belarus to receive medical care and cooperation in the field of healthcare;

-         Director of the Republican Scientific and Practical Center for Medical Technologies, Informatization and Healthcare Economics Alexey Alexandrovich Shcherbinsky – on the digital transformation of healthcare in the Republic of Belarus;

-         Deputy Director for Clinical Affairs of the N.N. Aleksandrov Republican Scientific and Practical Center of Oncology and Medical Radiology, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, Academician Sergey Anatolyevich Krasny – on CAR-T cell therapy for malignant neoplasms;

-         Denis Yuryevich Logunov, Director of the N.F. Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences – on the prospects for developing mRNA-based drugs;

-         Sergey Vladimirovich Lapin, Head of the Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics Laboratory of the Scientific and Methodological Center for Molecular Medicine of the First St. Petersburg State Medical University named after Academician I.P. Pavlov of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation – on molecular genetic diagnostics of lipid metabolism disorders;

-         Elena Borisovna Lavnik, Head of the Pharmaceutical Inspection Department of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus – on the pharmaceutical circulation system in Belarus;

-         Alla Vladimirovna Samoilova, Head of the Federal Service for Surveillance in Healthcare – on cooperation in the field of licensing medical activities and certification of medical devices;

-         Deputy Chief Physician for Medical Affairs of RCMC, Candidate of Medical Sciences Svetlana Sergeevna Galitskaya – on the development of a model for early detection of hereditary dyslipidemias in the Republic of Belarus;

-         Director of the Central Research Institute for Healthcare Organization and Informatization of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation Olga Sergeevna Kobyakova – on experience exchange and achievements in the field of digital transformation of healthcare;

-         Director of the G.I. Turner National Medical Research Center for Pediatric Traumatology and Orthopedics of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation Sergey Viktorovich Vissarionov – on joint development of projects and programs of the Union State;

-         Head of the Educational Foundation "Talent and Success," Chair of the Council of the Federal Territory "Sirius" Elena Vladimirovna Shmeleva – on the role of genetic technologies in medicine and the importance of technological sovereignty;

-         other Belarusian and Russian speakers.

The parties discussed the progress of the Action Plan and the Main Directions for implementing the provisions of the Treaty on the Establishment of the Union State for 2024-2026, as well as prospects for cooperation in healthcare within the framework of the Main Directions for implementing the provisions of the Treaty on the Establishment of the Union State for 2027-2029.

Within the framework of the session, a cooperation agreement was signed between the Open Joint-Stock Company "Digital Transformation Agency" (RB) and the Federal State Budgetary Institution "Central Research Institute for Healthcare Organization and Informatization" of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation (RF), reflecting the agreements reached on further development of cooperation.

Following the event, the participants approved and adopted the Recommendations of Section No. 6 "Strategic Directions for Cooperation in the Healthcare Sector of the Union State," which formalized the agreement to continue work on the preparation and implementation of joint projects, programs and events of the Union State in healthcare, to intensify interaction on improving the procedures and conditions for providing medical care in order to ensure equal rights for citizens of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation in the field of healthcare, and others.

The sectional session "Strategic Directions for Cooperation in the Healthcare Sector of the Union State," held at the Republican Clinical Medical Center, became another step towards strengthening integration in healthcare between the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation, and improving the quality of medical care in healthcare institutions of the two countries.

On June 25, a total of 10 sectional sessions and a number of events were held in Minsk and the Minsk Region within the framework of the XIII Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia on key areas of cooperation between the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation. On June 26, the Plenary Session of the XIII Forum will take place at the Minsk International Exhibition Center with the participation of heads of ministries and agencies, state authorities, enterprises and organizations, and representatives of business circles of the two countries. A number of cooperation agreements are expected to be signed.