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The ‘Women’s Health for the Wellbeing of the Nation’ Forum has concluded in Moscow. The event was organized by the Council of the Eurasian Women’s Forum under the Russian Federation Council together with the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade and Roscongress Foundation’s social platform Innosocium Foundation, with the support of the Russian Ministry of Health.

The key event of the Forum was a plenary session that featured speeches by Federation Council Chairwoman Valentina Matviyenko, Russian Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov, Russian Minister of Science and Higher Education Valery Falkov, Russian Minister of Health Mikhail Murashko, Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation Director General Alexey Likhachev, Russian Presidential Plenipotentiary Representative in the Central Federal District Igor Shchegolev, Federal Biomedical Agency Director Veronika Skvortsova, and Khanty-Mansi Autonomous District Governor Natalya Komarova. The meeting participants discussed the opportunities offered by the latest technologies in healthcare today as well as international cooperation and the exchange of experience among women’s communities in the healthcare and beauty industries. The Forum addressed such key issues as how to make a healthy lifestyle a core value of the nation and an integral part of Russian women’s lives.

Matviyenko said holding meetings in such a format is more important now than ever. «Society has clearly emphasized the need for change. Today, the social agenda has been elevated to the standing of national priorities that shape Russia’s future. The tasks set out in the President’s address have started being implemented and literally each line is addressed to us, women. National projects that are unprecedented in terms of their scope are already in their second year of implementation. I would like to once again list the core values ​​that are at the forefront of all the transformations in the country. They include increasing life expectancy, and I emphasize a healthy lifestyle, achieving active longevity, reducing mortality and increasing the birth rate, and ensuring the accessibility and quality of healthcare. The new approaches to management and the development of high technologies as well as a human resources policy should aim to achieve this. And, of course, our citizens should be included in these processes». In her speech, Matviyenko thanked the Forum organizers, in particular the Innosocium Foundation, the social platform of the Roscongress Foundation.

Manturov spoke about all the important projects the Ministry is implementing in the creation of Russian-made drugs and diagnostic equipment. «Above all, we are devoting special attention to the creation of effective and safe medicines on which patients’ lives depend. Through the state-sponsored PHARMAMED programme, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has supported 39 projects for the development of domestic drugs for the treatment of gynaecologic oncological diseases. Many of them are already on the market, which has enabled us to cover more than 64% of this segment. Our companies are manufacturing high-tech drugs for the treatment of breast cancer based on monoclonal antibodies, and a large-scale investment project is underway to set up the production of hormonal drugs in Tyumen. Just recently, we started producing a unique full-format digital mammograph to diagnose breast cancer and the world’s first wireless next-generation portable mammography receiver. This equipment will make it possible to provide even more accurate diagnoses at an early stage, which significantly increases the effectiveness of treatment. In addition, we will be allocating funding in the near future for the development of a vaccine to treat papillomaviruses (HPV), which world clinical data indicates significantly reduces the risk of cancer. And we hope that a decision will be made to include this vaccine in the National Calendar».

«The government’s current policy to promote women’s and children’s health is an unprecedented measure that has helped achieve the lowest maternal and infant mortality rates in the country’s history», Murashko said in his speech.

«The objective of preserving one’s health is of particular importance given the new challenges we face. Women can make a significant contribution to achieving this objective. The goal of the Forum is to promote women’s maximum inclusion in the struggle for the nation’s health», Federation Council Deputy Chairwoman Galina Karelova said. «Each year, women are taking an increasingly active role in all facets of society. The development of science, culture, healthcare, economics, and digital technologies — we are involved in all areas. The success of work to increase people’s healthy life expectancy depends on our activities».

«Our country has a rich history of examples of women with outstanding biographies. These include great empresses, princesses, military leaders, scientists, astronauts, and public figures, among many others. We remember their achievements, feats, and contribution to our country. I hope that future generations of women will be worthy successors of their work. In the modern world, women play an equally important role in society and the nation’s development. An increasing number of them are making discoveries in science, gaining recognition in art, and holding leading positions in the government. Their wellbeing, health, and safety are an important focus of ​​the state policy of the Russian Federation and its pride. Nevertheless, there are still issues that require our attention. Such issues above all include a healthy lifestyle, the shaping of values, the development of international cooperation among women in healthcare, and the introduction of new technologies in healthcare. I hope that at this Forum, where representatives of ministries, the expert community, and business have all gathered, we can find solutions to at least some of these issues. I thank the organizers for holding this event», Falkov said in his welcome address.

The first session of the Forum was devoted to the implementation of the national Healthcare project and women’s involvement in it. In their speeches, the speakers spoke about current trends in the development of healthcare and women’s experience in developing and promoting the latest healthcare technologies. The speakers addressed how to bring disease prevention to the forefront and make a healthy lifestyle a core value for everyone. The discussion continued about women’s role in the development of a healthy society, ways to increase the effectiveness of government measures, and the development of private initiative in such an important area.

These and other issues were also addressed in open discussions that took place between sessions. Opinion leaders shared their experiences and discussed optimal mechanisms for integrating the women’s agenda into the life of modern society. Representatives of Russian ministries and agencies, regional leaders, and healthy lifestyle experts discussed the most relevant trends that help to shape new principles and mechanisms for preserving women’s health.

The panel sessions focused on a wide range of issues, such as how fashion can affect women’s lifestyle and their internal state, how the mass media shapes new trends in the beauty and health industries, how to improve women’s quality of life by combining a healthy lifestyle and the capabilities of modern medicine.

The growing importance of a healthy lifestyle and emphasis on disease prevention are trends that have already taken developed nations by storm. And this provides a serious impetus to the development of the health and beauty industry — a multi-billion dollar market with enormous potential. Female entrepreneurship traditionally has a strong position in this regard. This is why the Forum devoted significant attention to the most pressing aspects of collaboration between business and government as well as the latest trends in and the prospects of the health and beauty industry. After all, the growth of this market contributes to the development of women’s entrepreneurship and makes many of the tools used to maintain beauty and an active lifestyle more accessible, which means that it directly affects the health of the nation as a whole and women in particular.

«Today, the women’s agenda is among the most important aspects of the vast majority of global forums on economic development, healthcare, education, culture, and other pressing issues. The importance of involving women in all facets of society is already accepted in most countries at the state level. Obviously, the global economy cannot further develop without this. Against this background, issues related to women’s health create a separate important theme, which is what motivated the organizers of the ‘Women’s Health for the Wellbeing of the Nation’ Forum», said Yelena Marinina, Deputy CEO of the Roscongress Foundation and Director of the Innosocium Foundation. «Russia is taking serious steps towards bolstering its role in the global women’s community. This Forum vividly demonstrated how important dialogue is in preserving the health of our women at all levels — the government, business, and public organizations. Today, women play a serious role in the health and beauty industry, and by working together at the municipal, interregional, and international levels, we can contribute to the successful resolution of numerous issues».

05.03.2020