Among the events to take place at the Community Forum in Novosibirsk was a roundtable entitled Drug Security: Cooperation in the Interests of Society. Among the topics to come under discussion were current challenges with regards to medicine provision, and establishing efficient communication channels between the state and society with the aim of ensuring uninterrupted access to medications. The event was held under the umbrella of the upcoming Drug Security Forum, which will take place on 15 June 2022 – the opening day of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
Among those taking part in the discussion were Alexander Petrov, Deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation and Chairman of the Subcommittee for Drug Circulation and the Development of the Pharmaceutical and Medical Industries (part of the State Duma of the Russian Federation’s Committee on Health Protection); Konstantin Khalzov, Minister of Health of Novosibirsk Region; Yuriy Zhulev, President of the Russian Hemophilia Society; Anastasia Stolkova, First Deputy CEO for Development and Head of Healthcare Directorate at the Roscongress Foundation; Olga Postnikova, Chief Executive Officer of the Dobroe Delo Social Care Centre; and Victor Dmitriev, General Manager of the Association of Russian Pharmaceutical Manufacturers.
Speaking at the event, Alexander Petrov highlighted the fact that drug security would once again come under the spotlight at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. “There is nothing we will be able to accomplish by acting alone. Ensuring drug security in the country is our shared objective. And the key aim is to build public trust in Russian medical care, doctors, and medicine. The world has never before seen the like of the current sanctions imposed on Russia. And there are difficulties even in terms of medicine provision. One example of this is foreign banks freezing payments from Russia for medicine or medical products,” he said.
A new public initiative, similarly entitled Drug Security, was also highlighted at the event, and will bring together politicians, non-profit organizations, doctors, and journalists with the aim of disseminating accurate and trustworthy information in relation to medicine provision. The initiative is being organized by the Roscongress Foundation and the State Duma’s Expert Council for Drug Circulation.
“Our plans under the Drug Security initiative include building communication channels between our country’s regions with the aim of spreading accurate and trustworthy information on the accessibility of medications. The initiative aims to benefit the public, and a number of entities have already expressed their support for it, and are contributing accordingly. The key objective is to reduce any strain that society may experience in the event of irregular supplies of medicine in the future,” said Anastasia Stolkova.
A number of other topics came under focus during the roundtable. These included ways of establishing communication between the state and society in the event of emergencies, the potential role of non-profits in setting up efficient lines of feedback between the state and the public, and ways of boosting cooperation between the state and society in the context of new social challenges.
A video of the event is available on the Drug Security Forum’s VK page.
The Community Forum in Novosibirsk was the first event to take place as part of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation’s regional forum campaign in 2022. The forum was held under the slogan “Stability and Protection: Pathways for a New Socioeconomic Policy”. Subsequent forums are set to take place in Kazan, Lipetsk, and Petrozavodsk, with Moscow hosting the final event in the series in early November.
