Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Government of the Russian Federation – Government of the Russian Federation –
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Deputy Prime Minister and Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District Yuri Trutnev chaired a meeting of the Government Commission on the Socioeconomic Development of the Far East.
The issue of improving the availability and quality of healthcare in the Far East was discussed.
"The Government of the Russian Federation is undertaking extensive work in this area. Since 2018, 80 hospitals have been built and modernized in the Far East under the presidential Far Eastern Unified Subsidy program, and more than 50 feldsher-midwife stations have been opened. Another 51 facilities have been commissioned under the state program 'Healthcare Development.' The 'Zemsky Doctor' and 'Zemsky Feldsher' programs are in place, providing relocation allowances for young doctors relocating to rural areas. Despite this, the macro-region continues to experience a shortage of qualified medical personnel. At the same time, access to medical care remains low in remote and hard-to-reach communities," Yuri Trutnev opened the meeting.
As Health Minister Mikhail Murashko noted, special measures have been implemented for the Far East. Starting in 2024, a medical care accessibility factor (1.5) will be included in the calculation of compulsory medical insurance subsidies. Taking this into account, an additional 11.2 billion rubles have been allocated for 2026. Furthermore, the Russian Ministry of Health's regulatory documents on territorial planning and the organization of medical care take into account the region's climatic and geographical features and population density.
By 2030, it is planned to equip 11 perinatal centers (maternity hospitals), create 7 women's consultation centers, and upgrade 56 facilities in 10 regions of the Far Eastern Federal District (as part of master plans).
At least 5% of federal funds will be allocated for infrastructure changes in the Far Eastern Federal District (as part of the national project).
Since 2019, 1,800 vehicles have been purchased for medical institutions. 176 mobile medical units (for diagnostics, medical examinations, and occupational health screenings) have been delivered.
Funding for air ambulances is increasing annually, with funding growth by 31.8% by 2030.
Issues of staffing medical organizations, the use of mobile work and telemedicine, and drug supply were also discussed.
"Healthcare remains one of the most pressing issues for residents of the Far East. One of the main reasons for this is the low population density. Achieving a high concentration of specialists and equipment in small towns is difficult. We agreed that the Ministry of Health will propose a number of measures to improve the quality of medical services in the Far East. We also plan to dedicate one of the Far Eastern Federal District Council meetings to healthcare issues, so that regional leaders can report on their achievements and share their experiences," concluded Yuri Trutnev.
The meeting agenda included a discussion of measures to increase the birth rate in the Far East. "The Far East ranks third among federal districts in this indicator. This result was achieved thanks to additional support measures that comprise the Far East demographic package: a one-time payment upon the birth of a first child, a 30% federal supplement to maternity capital, the Far East preferential mortgage program, a 1 million ruble mortgage payment upon the birth of a third or subsequent child, and others," said Yuri Trutnev.
A macroregional demographic development program, the Demographic Policy Concept, was developed for the Russian Far East and concluded last year. Over the past year, the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East analyzed the results of the concept's implementation and, together with the regions, colleagues from federal ministries and agencies, and the expert and academic community, prepared and submitted to the Russian Government a key strategic planning document in this area: the Demographic Policy Strategy for the Far East for the Period to 2030 and for the Future to 2036. The document is currently awaiting signature by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.
A special support system for families with children, the Far East Demographic Package, has been created for the Far East. All birth orders are supported. One in eight residents of the Far East is already a beneficiary of these support measures. The implementation of these measures has enabled the Far East to maintain a birth rate above the Russian average.
At the direction of the head of state, starting in 2023, Primorsky Krai and, starting in 2024, seven other Far East regions with birth rates below the macroregional average will implement an additional support measure: 1 million rubles toward mortgage repayments for the birth of a third or subsequent child. Over the past three years, 5,000 large families have reduced their debt burden. This focus on the birth of third and subsequent children has yielded positive results. While the total fertility rate for third and subsequent children increased by 1% across Russia from 2022 to 2025, it increased by 8% in Primorsky Krai and by 6% in the seven other pilot regions. This financial incentive mechanism has been recognized as effective and has been included in the federal "demographic menu" of the national "Family" project for regions with low birth rates.
The development of microelectronics in the Far East was discussed. "Today, our country is continuing a special military operation and needs to learn how to produce components. There are a number of instructions related to the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East, together with the Far East Development Committee, to explore the issue of supporting microelectronics companies," said Yuri Trutnev.
Minister for the Development of the Far East and Arctic Alexey Chekunkov proposed developing and approving a program for the development of electronics in the Far Eastern Federal District. This program would consolidate support measures from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East, the governments of the Far Eastern Federal District, and interested organizations, and would allow for a systematic approach to state support for electronics projects. According to him, six electronics projects have been developed at the Ministry of Industry and Trade headquarters, and two projects have become residents of the Primorye and Khabarovsk priority development areas, respectively.
Financial support measures for investment projects in the microelectronics sector were discussed. Non-financial support measures for microelectronics projects from the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East will include incentives in priority development areas (PDAs), and starting in 2027, investors will be provided with land plots and infrastructure through the Far East Development Fund (KRDV) under a unified preferential regime.
Measures to improve the efficiency of electricity and heat supply to residents of the Far East and optimize subsidies for tariff differences were discussed. "The current tariff subsidy mechanism for residents overburdens regional budgets (budget subsidies increased 2.4-fold between 2018 and 2025, from 44 billion to 105 billion rubles). This leads to increased debt to energy suppliers. Regional budgets currently owe almost 40 billion rubles to RusHydro," said Yuri Trutnev.
Following the discussion, Yury Trutnev instructed the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East, together with the Ministry of Energy and the Far Eastern regions, to conduct an inventory of electricity and heat supply facilities in order to create a single, unified register of energy supply facilities, update plans to improve energy supply efficiency, and optimize the subsidization of the inter-tariff difference. They also instructed them to consider the possibility of prioritizing electricity supply facilities for their comprehensive modernization, including by providing for a mechanism for compensating costs from 2026 through dividends from PJSC RusHydro, with subsequent reimbursement from 2028 by PJSC RusHydro from the "Far Eastern surcharge." The Ministry of Construction, together with the Far Eastern regions, was instructed to ensure the development of regional programs to improve heat supply efficiency, including through the comprehensive modernization and reconstruction of heat supply facilities, while identifying funding sources and mechanisms, including treasury loans. The Russian Ministry of Energy and the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East have been instructed to prepare proposals to optimize fuel supply logistics, including by establishing a mechanism for centralized fuel procurement.
"We need to build new energy capacity and improve the efficiency of existing ones. We also need to improve energy supply logistics. Furthermore, we see a number of projects where certain technological improvements could lead to significant savings. This is also a goal. To this end, we plan to use funds received from RusHydro's dividends, which we decided not to pay this year," concluded Yuri Trutnev.
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