Russia’s Health and Social Development Minister Mikhail Zurabov
Photo: Dmitry Lebedev
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Russia’s Demographic Situation the Best in 7 Years, Zurabov Says
This year, Russia has had the best demographic situation in seven years, Health and Social Development Minister Mikhail Zurabov said Friday at the meeting dedicated to progress in Public Health National Program.
The death rate shed 5 percent (roughly by 100,000) over 11 months of 2006. The decline was registered in all regions of Russia and for all kinds of diseases, the minister emphasized.
The infant mortality went down by 6 percent, though around 15,000 to 15,500 babies are still dying in the first year in Russia. The number would be even bigger if the death of babies born with the weight of below a kilogram were taken into account, Zurabov specified. The target is to bring down the infant mortality by no less than 30 percent in the nearest years.
The increase in costs for medical equipment used to administer the first aid, including the obstetric aid, will be one of the prime concerns of the Public Health National Program in 2007. In 2008, it is planned to build 20 perinatal centers equipped with the up-to-date facilities, the minister added.
Nevertheless, the demographic situation is anything but simple in Russia. The population size sank 0.27 percent to 142.4 million from early this year, Russian Statistics Service reported, signaling that it was not by chance that President Vladimir Putin dedicated a part of his annual message to the Federal Assembly exactly to this problem.
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