There is a ceremonial program with the participation of performersThe opening ceremony will be attended by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova, Federation Council Deputy Speaker Inna Svyatenko, State Duma Deputy Chairman Anna Kuznetsova, and Russian Minister of Health Mikhail Murashko.

The opening ceremony will be attended by young doctors, volunteers, artists and creative teams. In addition, the singer and Honoured Artist of Russia Pelageya and Olesya Kazachenko, a finalist from the show ‘The Voice. Children – 7’ and the show ballet ‘Todes’, will put on a special performance for the Congress participants.

One of the key indicators of Russia’s competitiveness is the extent of the development of its innovation and healthcare sectors. The National Security Strategy envisages the introduction of incentives by the government, the encouragement of private investment in innovative activities, and the accelerated introduction of their results to ensure the sustainable growth of the Russian economy. Russia has significant potential in terms of fundamental and applied research, an extensive system of scientific and educational centres, and advantages in a number of technologies. One of the tasks that is crucial to achieving the country’s goals of scientific and technological development is the creation of instruments to protect intellectual property and the expanded enforcement of patent legislation in order to get Russian businesses more interested in developing innovative activities. The development and introduction of new medical technologies and medicines is also pivotal to Russia’s healthcare strategy, including the creation of centralized digital platforms to diagnose diseases using artificial intelligence, the introduction of modern molecular genetic methods to forecast, diagnose, and monitor the progression of diseases, personalized pharmacotherapy methods, as well as numerous other existing and emerging technologies of the future. The strategy of supporting innovative developments has also been crucial to China’s success in recent decades in transforming the economy from a global producer of knowledge-intensive technological goods to a developer and pioneer in multiple fields of science. Some of the key features of the approach taken by Chinese innovative developers include their focus on the applied use of new technologies, the broad mobility and speed of decision-making, significant and diversified government support for innovators, as well as a focus on introducing new technologies equally in the local and foreign markets. What measures are most effective and essential to support the development and introduction of innovations? What regulatory conditions are needed to create the most conducive innovation ecosystem? What barriers to innovation have been encountered and still need to be addressed? How can innovation in healthcare be accelerated? What is the best way to gain international recognition in the context of intercountry competition for human capital, sales markets, and scientific leadership?

During the session, well-known Russian scientists and developers will share breakthrough achievements in the field of genetics, in the treatment of autoimmune and oncological diseases, as well as the development of vaccines and immunobiological drugs. The participants will discuss how innovations in the healthcare sector are becoming a key factor in ensuring a high-tech and personalized approach to patients, how these changes can be harmoniously integrated into the structure of the modern medical system, and what are the prospects for further technological development of Russian healthcare.

One of the key objectives of Russia’s state policy to protect the health of its citizens is to improve the healthcare system and provide it with the necessary financial resources. Given the unprecedented challenges of recent years, the government has made a number of important decisions that aim to maintain and support the financial sustainability of the domestic healthcare system. Effective results have been achieved by introducing domestic innovations in practical healthcare in order to reduce the overall cost of medical care, as well as increase the amount of funding to ensure the timely provision of medical services and the implementation of strategic initiatives. What methods of financial stability of the country’s leading federal centres and low-capacity regional hospitals have proven to be the most effective? What methods and tools can be used to ensure the equal financial reliability of medical organizations given the differentiation in regional prices? What criteria for prioritizing funding for strategic projects need to be introduced to accelerate their proper implementation?

The challenges of our times and the growing human need to improve the quality of life dictate the importance of the agenda for preserving the health of the Russian population and the development of health protection practices, as well as pharmaceutical innovations. Considering that more than 83% of representatives of the medical and pharmaceutical industries are women, they play a key role in the rapidly developing Russian healthcare system as they introduce and promote the latest technologies in healthcare. With the involvement of the Council of the Eurasian Women's Forum, Russia is successfully implementing global initiatives and projects that aim to strengthen preventive measures and health protection, such as ‘Preventive Shield’, ‘Health Train’, ‘Women’s Health – The Well-Being of the Nation’, ‘Women for a Healthy Society’, and ‘Women in the Pharmaceutical Industry’. However, for the sustainable development of the healthcare system, women need to be even more active across the board in all areas of healthcare and in the country’s socioeconomic life. What other initiatives need to be promoted under the auspices of the EWF Council to ensure the well-being of the nation and develop human potential as a factor in sustainable socioeconomic development? What contribution are women making today to the development of science and the medical and pharmaceutical industries? What role do women play in the development of a modern person-centred healthcare system?

The COVID-19 pandemic posed major challenges for the government, including the need to promptly inform people about treatment and prevention methods, and also demonstrated the importance of an effective communication strategy between the public and healthcare professionals. Information channels and practices that were created based on this experience are still being used successfully today to release information about medical examinations and the prevention of non-communicable diseases. However, since the peak of the pandemic, the theme of healthcare has become less of a priority for the media despite the need for continued widespread coverage of health issues. In addition to traditional media, including television, radio, and print media, new media outlets, such as social networks, blogs, and Telegram channels, are becoming increasingly important and trusted by people. As such, effective interaction with various audiences directly depends on a careful analysis and selection of media resources, the quality of content about medicine and health, and methods of how it is presented. What media resources are effective and promising platforms for promoting a healthy lifestyle, prevention programmes, and advances in medical science? What formats of communication with a broad audience are most effective in the healthcare sector? What is the best strategy for interaction between healthcare and the media today? How should the healthcare sector be highlighted as a priority for the media?

The rapid development of medical science in Russia is contributing to significant achievements in the medical and pharmaceutical industries, improving genomic technologies and the production of innovative drugs, and creating unparalleled medical technologies and equipment. However, to achieve technological sovereignty in the healthcare industry, it is crucial to enhance the level of interaction between the scientific community, government, and business and prioritize areas of focus and projects that aim to create a specific tangible and practice-oriented result or product that is promising in terms of industrial production and its introduction in clinical practice. Implementing these ambitious goals will help achieve the strategic goals of reducing dependence on imports, modernizing Russia’s domestic production capacities, and ensuring a consistently high level of national healthcare regardless of external factors. How can we overcome the challenges that medical science will encounter on the path to achieving Russia’s complete technological sovereignty in the healthcare industry? What areas of medical science should be regarded as the top priorities and the most promising? How do developments with AI affect the development of the healthcare system? What government incentives are needed right now to get the scientific community and the medical and pharmaceutical industries completely focused on ensuring technological sovereignty in the healthcare sector?

The functionality and role of nurses in terms of properly caring for patients has expanded in response to the progressive development of medical science and the introduction of innovative technologies into the healthcare system. At present, a pilot project is being successfully implemented to transfer certain functions of doctors to nurses for conducting medical examinations among the public, preventing non-communicable diseases, and promoting a healthy lifestyle. However, in order to effectively transform nursing activities, it is crucial to develop professional associations and non-formal education, establish youth councils among specialists with secondary medical educations, and create a talent pool of nursing service managers, given the shortage and high workload of nurses, the need for greater public recognition, and the insufficient use of modern technologies. What steps to optimize nursing activities will enhance the prestige of the profession and create the necessary conditions for the professional development of medical personnel? What is the best way to attract and retain highly qualified specialists at the local level? How does managing nursing activities affect the national healthcare system?

Drugs obtained from blood plasma are considered vital and essential medicines. More than a million patients in Russia need them every year. At present, the domestic market for blood products is directly dependent on imports. Given the lack of domestic production facilities and the constant need to make purchases abroad, the health of Russia’s citizens and, consequently, its national security is dependent on external economic conditions. Amidst the current global challenges, expanding and improving the production of medicines derived from blood plasma is a top priority for Russia’s development. In order to eliminate the domestic healthcare industry’s dependence on imported medicines and strengthen national security, Russia needs to achieve self-sufficiency in the production of basic blood products by expanding the presence of Russian medicines derived from blood plasma on the domestic pharmaceutical market, create modern industrial production facilities for medicines derived from blood plasma, and increase the amount of blood plasma purchases in order to create a stable supply of raw materials for drug production by modernizing plasma centres and building technological facilities for plasma fractionation. How can we effectively increase the donation of blood and its components at the federal and regional levels? What alternative methods of blood-saving technologies exist? What are the key focuses of Russia’s state policy for increasing purchases of blood plasma for drug production? What support measures will facilitate the regions’ involvement in the project to build plasma centres? How can we accelerate the expansion of domestic drugs derived from blood plasma on the Russian market?

The COVID-19 pandemic has become a vivid example of why preventing infections, with the maximum consolidation of the efforts of medical services, biotechnology companies, and the public, has become such a strategically important focus of Russia’s development. The pandemic resulted in the rapid development and registration of diagnostic systems and vaccines that saved numerous human lives. In an effort to increase immunization and maintain the working capacity of the population, a plan was approved at the federal level to implement a strategy to develop preventive immunization against infectious diseases. The creation of new tools to monitor the epidemiological situation, improvements to primary healthcare, updates to the national calendar of preventive vaccinations, and the establishment of a full cycle of vaccine production have all had a positive impact on life expectancy and strengthening collective immunity, as well as increasing the economic efficiency of the state. What tools does Russia have today to monitor the epidemiological situation and prevent emergencies as a result of infectious diseases? How can primary healthcare mechanisms be improved to effectively vaccinate the population? How can we overcome challenges associated with preventing infections among the country’s residents? What funding and production tools do companies need to develop to help accelerate preventive immunization in the face of a global biological threat?