Vladimir Putin's address at the ceremony:

Good afternoon, friends.

First of all, I would like to congratulate Russian healthcare workers on their professional holiday - Healthcare Worker Day.

Our American colleagues are with us today in this hall. Among them is Mr Watson, a person whose name is associated with the discovery of the human genome. This is the most remarkable discovery of our time. I would like to welcome our American friends and thank them for being here with us today in Moscow.

We have always taken pride in Russian medicine. We also had a great deal to be proud of in Soviet times, both the healthcare system itself and the outstanding achievements made by it.

I will not now raise those problems the system experienced in the 1990s due to the objective, external factors of the transition to a market economy and the fact that it was impossible to base social programmes on outdated principles. But since the early 2000's, we have been implementing systematic measures to support healthcare in Russia. Specifically, the first Vocation awards took place in 2001. It is an award bestowed on the best teams and the best doctors in recognition of their outstanding contribution to healthcare in Russia. Such people are present in this hall today.

All these measures are now codified within the framework of the national project on Health. I should say that thanks to our joint efforts, primarily your efforts, the efforts of rank-and-file doctors who work directly with people across the country, we have indeed achieved something. There are more unresolved issues than resolved ones, but all the same, last year, for the first time in Russia's post-Soviet history, we saw population growth in our country. The birth rate is growing slowly but stably and the death rate is falling.

A person's life is the most important indicator we have. In the past five years, life expectancy in Russia has increased by four years. This not a bad figure for five years. I would even say it's a good figure. Average life expectancy in Russia has now reached 69 years of age. This is to a great extent thanks to your efforts, since Russia's death rate is falling in response to fundamental factors associated with medical care. This is not only first aid at road accidents, although that is important, but we are also seeing, for example, a reduction in the mortality from factors such as cardio-vascular disease. It is directly due to the efforts of doctors and all those working in healthcare to improve Russia's healthcare system.

I must say, and this is something you all know well, that despite the global financial and economic crisis, which of course had an impact on our country and our economy, we have not delayed raising the premiums for compulsory medical insurance. This will enable us to direct considerable funds, 460 billion roubles, specifically towards our most important endeavour: improving the healthcare system. Improving the material well-being of health care workers is not last on the list. In this regard, I think that many will agree with me that we need to make the transition to new ways of remunerating work in the healthcare system in order to raise the responsibility felt by all healthcare personnel for the quality of service they provide to the Russian public. I am confident that these funds will find their way into reliable hands and will be distributed in the most correct way and in the most efficient manner.

Of course, we, State Duma deputies, in consultation with specialists, must consider what principles these prospective changes to the health care system will be based on. I am sure that this will yield positive results and that we will continue to succeed thanks to your hard work and talent.

I wish you good health and all the best!

Thank you for your attention.