OREANDA-NEWS. April 11, 2011. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin visited a maternity ward and laboratories with modern diagnostic equipment and operating rooms, where among other things, in vitro fertilisation procedures are performed. After inspecting the St. Petersburg hospital, Mr Putin spoke via video link with specialists at the Mother-and-Child centres in Irkutsk, Moscow and Ufa.

Transcript of the video conference:

Vladimir Putin: What year did you start workingthe clinic open?

Irina Rovnaya, medical director at the an Irkutsk clinic in Irkutsk: The Mother and Child clinic in Irkutsk has been in operation since 2009.

Vladimir Putin: How many patients have gone throughbeen treated at this institution?

Irina Rovnaya: We have examined and treated more thanover a thousands of couples suffering fromwith infertility issues since we opened. Since then, wWe have conducted more than 400 infertility treatment cycles of infertility treatment using with our high-tech equipment. We were able to achieve 146 pregnancies as a result. In the years of operation ofSince our clinic opened, 178 babies were have been born and 260 pregnant women were have been examined within the walls ofhere our institution.

Vladimir Putin: There have been many twins?

Irina Rovnaya: Yes, many twins.

Vladimir Putin: Is the client able to choose having to have a boy or a girl? Do you offer such a service yet?

Irina Rovnaya: We plan soon to purchase equipment that will enable us to not only choose a boy or a girlthe gender, but also to predict the a child's genetic anomalies.

Vladimir Putin: Regarding genetic anomalies, as I understand it, you primarily involve use specialists from other scientific institutions?

Irina Rovnaya: Yes, that's right.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much. I want to wish you every success. All the best. How many people work for you?

Irina Rovnaya: More than 30 people work in our centre. These are candidates of medical sciences, top-tier quality doctors. We mainly focus on our main slogan – "The future is born here."

Vladimir Putin: What is the average age of your employees?

Irina Rovnaya: The average age of our doctors is 35–36.

Vladimir Putin: Great! And the average salary?

Irina Rovnaya: The average salary, Mr Putin, is quite respectable. It all depends on the number of cycles of infertility treatment cycles.

Vladimir Putin: I want to wish you all the best. You do very necessary and beneficent work. Thank you very much.

Irina Rovnaya: Thank you very much, Mr Putin.

Vladimir Putin: Let's connect to Moscow.

Yelena Fomicheva, medical director of at the Perinatal Medical Centre: Good evening. Mr Putin, we want to thank you for focusing on maternity issues. We represent the Moscow clinic of the Mother and Child group of companies and the Perinatal Medical Centre. It opened in 2006, and is situated located on a 33,000 square meter territoryplot. There are 220 beds here, and 100 of them are for infants. We have 1,200 employees. More thanOver 13,000 children have been born here over the last five years; of these, there were 312 sets of twins and nine triplets. Our priority is the ward that we are in now. This is paediatric intensive care. Here we nurse infants weighing as little as 500 grams. We have everything necessary for their care, as you can see – comfortable incubators, monitors for ongoing monitoring ofto track vital functions, perfusors that enable medication to be introduced at a strictly pre-set speedto regulate IV injection volume, computerised equipment, for high-frequency ventilation of the lungs ventilation, among and many other things. This is how we were able to save the lives of 843 babies. We are carefully monitoring their health. After their time in this ward, they are transferred to the second phase of incubation, and then to the outpatient paediatric department of our centre. And we are sure confident that the future is born here.

Vladimir Putin: Tell me please, where do your patients live stay when they come here? Before they are admitted to the clinic?

Yelena Fomicheva: You know, we have a unique opportunity for all mothers to stay with their children. We have comfortable wards for this, where that can accommodateions are available not just for mumsboth mothers, but dadsand fathers. as well. And This allows mothers can to give their undivided attention to their babies.

Vladimir Putin: How much does this baby weigh? Just over a kilogram, right?

Yelena Fomicheva: This baby was born here weighing 1,400 grams. He has since grown a bit. He can now breathe on his own, already weighs two kilograms and will soon be transferred to the second phase of incubation.

Vladimir Putin: Alright. I wish you every success,. Yyou and your entire team. Thank you very much.

Ufa. Let's connect to Ufa.

Aigul Nizayeva: Hello. Good evening.

Vladimir Putin: Good evening.

Aigul Nizayeva: I am the head of the IVF department at the Mother and Child clinic in Ufa. We are in the doctor's office, and patients are examined here during the IVF program. The Ffertilisation itself happens in the embryological laboratory, which has in a certain micro-climateclimate controlled atmosphere, as well asplus, sterile and optimum conditions for embryo development are sustainedmaintained.

The work of our clinic, as well as all the Mother and Child clinics, resolves the issues associated with the onset of pregnancy and oversees the pregnancies and the births of healthy babies. For example, we developed and successfully use the a technique of for pre-implantation for of genetic diagnosis. It enables couples who are prone to hereditary diseases to have healthy children.

We have been in operation for one and a year and a half years, and during this time we have examined and treated about 500 married couples. We strive to provide our patients with full cycle of examinations – pre-conception, pregnancy and childbirth.

Vladimir Putin: Please tell me how you have established co-operation, speaking in bureaucratic languageterms, a partnership with those of your colleagues who can and should support you in the process? This refers toI mean not only, of course, those in the republic, in Ufa, but also in other regions of the Russian Federation. Are there such relationships and with whom?

Aigul Nizayeva: It This is easy enough for us to operate since we are in part of the Mother and Child group of companies. The most significant partnerships we have is are with the clinics in Moscow. We feel have their constant support, and if necessary, any specialist can travel to us in Ufa and help in difficult situations.

Vladimir Putin: Do you send any materials to Moscow? Is there any need?

Aigul Nizayeva: Yes, we are constantly sending certain materials to be examined in Moscow, and there is such a need. Moreover, almost every week we have an operational meeting with our Moscow colleagues; in other words, we are under constant control supervision from Moscow.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much. All the best to you, and I wish you every success!

And now Russian Technologies.

Pyotr Kanygin, director general of RT-Biotekhprom: Good afternoon, Mr Putin! Pyotr Kanygin, director general of RT-Biotekhprom, a subsidiary of the state corporation Russian Technologies. Our holding company has established a joint venture with General Electric to manufacture tomographic scanners.

Vladimir Putin: Peter, pPlease tell us about how the this work evolved, how it is going now and what prospects do you see in the field of endeavour to which you devote yourself today?

Pyotr Kanygin: I would like to report that in 2016 we plan to set up large-scale production, and by 2012-2015, we plan to localise production using a domestic component base.

Before us is a testing station, at whichwhere we test, calibrate and conduct a dry run of each CT scan. Today, wWe are currently the first in Russia to master institute mass production of 16-bit tomographic scanners. This is the most modern, and high-demand product for the needs ofin Russian national health care.

I would especially like to note, Mr Putin, the price performance of these components, which our American partners graciously provided. The product is competitive with and meets the average European prices. This will significantly reduce federal budget expenditure for both the current modernisation program, and in the future.

Our joint venture involves an exclusive equitable partnership for at least 10 years. We will deal develop not only with production and sales techniques, but also training specialists training, training physicians training, service, warranty service and the disposal of operating equipment.

An important feature of the this joint venture is the localisation of the component base using Russian companies, followed by the possible supply of these components to General Electric's global network.

Vladimir Putin: What is the extent of localisationthe domestic content?

Pyotr Kanygin: You know, we say 40% to 60% today. We could achieve a very good extent of localisationhigh domestic content for some products. In Russia today, there are technical and manufacturing capabilities for certain models. We are currently working on this issue in detail.

Vladimir Putin: What about R&D? Do you do it or not?

Pyotr Kanygin: Yes, we do, Mr Putin. Later, within the framework of the joint venture, we will establish a joint R&D centre for joint the development of global networks. And wWe are also discussing this issue in detail with our American partners.

In conclusion, I want to make a request, Mr Putin. On Tuesday, amendments were made to Federal Law No. 94 on public procurement, and there was is a mechanism of offset transactions that can be implemented under this with this project. And it willThis would be a sufficientenough to assist in the condition for the construction of major manufacturing facilities in the Russian Federation and to transfer of technology here.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade Ministry This issue has worked through this issue in detail. Western experience was analysed, and the issue was discussed in detail. Accordingly, I would ask you, if possible, to instruct the federal authorities to study the mechanism for offset transactions in the Russian Federation.

Vladimir Putin: But we are doing exactly this. Judging by your agreements with your partners, your case is exactly what is appropriate under this mechanism of regulation. So I do not see any obstacles and challenges. In legal terms this is resolved, and we will certainly have keep it in mind in the procurement for the health care modernisation project. There is a mechanism for cases like yours, and it is associated with the transfer of manufacturing to the Russian Federation, which is implied by the term "offset deals." I wish you every success. All the best.