OREANDA-NEWS. August 23, 2012. In Sortavala Deputy Minister of Health and Social Development of Karelia Svetlana Antokhina met with representatives of the delegation of the Commission on Health and Social Development of the Parliament of Finland led by its Chairman Juha Rehula.

Visiting Sortavala central regional hospital was included in the program of the visit. A meeting in which Andrei Mikhailov, Head of the Medical Relief Department of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Republic of Karelia, participated on the part of the Russian party and the Consul of Finland in Petrozavodsk Anna-Maria Liukko represented Finland took place there. The visitors who have already been to the hospital, and they observed positive changes in the material base which have occured in the institution upon implementation of the program of modernization of public health services.

Finnish experts came to Karelia to get acquainted with the actual situation in spheres of public health services and social development in the republic. During the meeting the parties have exchanged information on the state of affairs in these spheres in Karelia and Finland, discussed priority directions of international cooperation.

– We have been supporting long-term fruitful cooperation with our Finnish colleagues in the field of public health services and social protection of the population, and it is very important that it is not only research and educational activity, but also exchange of experience of experts on use of the approved modern technologies in practice. In the past five years 48 Karelian-Finnish projects have been implemented, in which not only experts of the ministry, but officers of subordinate institutions participated, – Svetlana Antokhina mentioned. – The international conference Days of Medicine hosted by Finland and Republic of Karelia on a rotation basis has become a good tradition are realized. The following joint projects are run now in territory of Karelia: Pathogenesis of Insulin-Dependent Diabetes of Children (DIABIMMUNE), Facilitation of Mental Health in Northwest Russia, Development of Rehabilitation and Housing Services for Young People in a Difficult Living Situation in the Republic of Karelia, HIV Prevention among Reproductive-Aged Women in Karelia.

Svetlana Antokhina has told the Finnish colleagues about the system of social protection in the republic, problems in development of institutions of social service, having mentioned that pursuing a balanced policy focused on maintenance of active longevity of elderly citizens, self-actualization of people with physical disabilities, rendering qualitative services to families with children is a priority.

Andrei Mikhailov has told about the organization of medical aid to citizens of Karelia, about the planned model of public health services. Juhi Rehula has mentioned that such features of the region as low population density, significant remoteness of some settlements, plenty of settlements with small population complicating the organization of medical aid are also characteristic for Finland. Of greatest interest to the Finnish colleagues were issues of rendering oncological help, early diagnostics of diseases of children and teenagers, development of preventive medicine and rendering medical aid to patients with socially-significant diseases.

The basic immediate directions of international cooperation with the Ministry of Health and Social Development of Karelia are improvement of the quality of medical and social service through reequipment of institutions of public health and social services, increase of competence of experts; formation of healthy lifestyle, prevention of alcoholism, drug abuse, spread of HIV and violence; infectious disease control; socially significant disease prevention and control; preventive work with children and youth to improve their health; improvement in health of indigenous population; intergration of the disabled including handicapped children in the society and training members of their families; prevention of social exclusion; social prevention of child neglect.