Medvedev to meet UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

MOSCOW, February 15 (Itar-Tass) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on
Tuesday will receive UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navanethem
(Navi) Pillay, who is in Russia on a visit, the Kremlin press service
reported.
Pillay, who will visit Moscow and St. Petersburg during her trip,
plans to discuss human rights issues and civil society development. The
Office of the High Commissioner said earlier that the main purpose of her
trip is "to strengthen cooperation with the Russian Federation in the
field of human rights."
On Monday, Pillay has already held talks with RF Deputy Interior
Minister Sergei Gerasimov. The UN human rights chief also plans meetings
with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Minister of Health and Social
Development Tatyana Golikova, Minister of Regional Development Viktor
Basargin, Chairman of the Russian Supreme Court Vyacheslav Lebedev and
Chairman of the Russian Constitutional Court Valery Zorkin.
During the visit, taking place at the invitation of the Russian side,
Pillay is expected to meet with Chairman of the Human Rights Council under
the Russian president Mikhail Fedotov.
Pillay also plans meetings with civil society activists, human rights
activists on various topics related to human rights, including
discrimination, access to justice, rule of law, women's rights, migration
and the rights of persons with disabilities.
For Navi Pillay, a citizen of South Africa, who was in the past a
judge of the International Criminal Court, it is the first visit to Russia
in the capacity of the UN High Commissioner. Moscow regards this visit "as
an important step to strengthen Russia's cooperation with international
institutions and human rights mechanisms, which will promote the further
development of the human rights culture in the Russian society," the RF
Foreign Ministry stressed.
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.Putin to hold meeting on Moscow health system modernisation.

MOSCOW, February 15 (Itar-Tass) - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir
Putin will hold at the City Clinical Hospital No 1 (First Gradskaya
Hospital) on Tuesday a meeting on the Moscow healthcare system
modernisation programme, the press service of the Russian government
reported.
Regional healthcare modernisation programmes are designed to develop
systemic health system reforms that were launched within the framework of
the priority national project "Health." Since 2005, a sum of 590 billion
roubles has been allocated on its implementation. As a result, the average
life expectancy in the country increased by 3.7 years and reached 69
years, the birth rate grew by nearly 20 percent and mortality reduced by
12 percent. More than 900,000 people got high-technology medical aid at
the expense of the federal budget, this kind of medical aid has become 4
times more available.
However, about 30 percent of hospitals are in need of major repair and
reconstruction, 46.6 percent of the buildings have no central heating,
plumbing and sewage systems. More than 112 thousand pieces of medical
equipment must be replaced.
Regional healthcare modernisation programmes that start in 2011 are to
settle the remaining problems. Questions of their preparation and
implementation were discussed at a meeting chaired by Putin in Ivanovo on
November 9, 2010. The government head then set the tasks to improve the
quality and accessibility of medical care, to strengthen the
material-technical base of medical institutions in regions, to furnish
them with modern equipment, to improve the skills and raise wages of
medical personnel, through the introduction of modern information systems
to remove excess paperwork between doctor and patient, as focus on the
doctor's providing aid to the patient.
About 460 billion roubles of federal funds will be allocated in
2011-2012 for the implementation of regional healthcare programmes,
including more than 48 billion roubles for the implementation of the
Moscow programme. The regions are expected to co-finance the development
programmes on their own, which will significantly increase the volume of
investments.
Taking part in the meeting will be Minister of Health and Social
Development Tatyana Golikova, Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin, the leadership
of the Moscow healthcare system, chief doctors of a number of Moscow
hospitals.
The Pirogov City Clinical Hospital No 1 was founded in 1802 under the
will and with funds of Russia's prominent diplomat Prince Golitsyn as the
Golitsyn Clinic for adults. Famous architect Matvei Kazakov was the author
of the hospital buildings. In 1833, the First Gradskaya Hospital was laid
down close to the Golitsyn Clinic, and in 1866 - "Temporary Hospital for
typhoid patients (Second Gradskaya) was founded. Now, all three hospitals
represent a single organism - a multidisciplinary medical establishment
with 1,188 beds. Hospital No 1 is a clinical base for the Pirogov State
Medical University, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (MGMU),
Bauman Moscow State Technical University and medical schools. The hospital
employs a unique team of medical scientists and practitioners, among them
there are 15 doctors of medical sciences, 109 candidates of sciences, 7
honoured doctors of Russia, 233 doctors of the highest qualification
category.
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