OREANDA-NEWS. April 12, 2007. A practical science conference entitled Topical Issues in Pediatrics was held in Petrozavodsk as part of an educational program for members of the medical community in the regions of the Russian Federation. The program is being carried out by the medical insurance company Gazprommedstrakh, part of the SOGAZ Insurance Group, reported the press-centre of SOGAZ.
The conference was organized by the medical insurance company Gazprommedstrakh with the assistance of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Republic of Karelia and the I.M. Sechenov Moscow Medical Academy. More than 150 medical specialists, including representatives from the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Republic of Karelia, heads of children’s hospitals and policlinics, heads of pediatric departments, and chief pediatricians from Karelia took part in the conference.
Alexander Bystrov, Head of Gazprommedstrakh’s Insurance Programs Development Department, greeted guests and participants in the conference on behalf of the SOGAZ Insurance Group. In his address, he emphasized the role of medical insurance companies in the provision of quality medical care, stating: “I am sure that the combination of our experience and the use of well-proven, available technologies will allow us to implement high-quality programs in the Republic of Karelia, which will be of great benefit for the public health service in the region”.
Professor Alexander Malakhov,  Head of Gazprommedstrakh’s Department of Obligatory Medical Insurance and Protection of Policyholders’ Rights, presented two reports: “Bronchial Asthma in Children: Diagnostics, Treatment, Prophylaxis” and “Modern Approaches to Preventative Vaccination Against Controlled Infections.” In his reports, he emphasized the idea that “the introduction of a system of medical and economic standards is the main guarantee of quality medical care.” After the conference Prof. Malakhov provided consultation for some of the most seriously ill in-patients at the Children’s Republican Hospital.
New subdivisions of the SOGAZ Insurance Group in the Republic of Karelia were presented at the conference and their heads introduced to the participants: Andrei Karpilovich, Head of the Petrozavodsk-based subdivision of the St. Petersburg branch of OJSC SOGAZ, and Andrei Sleptsov, Director of the Karelia Board of the St. Petersburg branch of OJSC Gazprommedstrakh.
The medical insurance company Gazprommedstrakh is going to continue holding practical science conferences and seminars on a number of topical health care issues with the participation of Russia’s leading medical professionals.