During the tour, Vladimir Putin visited one of the centre's floors where finishing work and equipment installation were being completed. The prime minister was shown a furnished ward as well as doctors' offices and nursing staff rooms.
The centre's director Alexander Rumyantsev, who was giving the tour, informed the prime minister that construction began 2.5 years ago. According to Rumyantsev, this hospital could become a truly innovative centre, unparalleled in the world, which will provide the latest in medical care while pursuing cutting edge research.
"In fact, this could become an international centre," the prime minister suggested. "This is what it is moving towards," Alexander Rumyantsev replied. He added that the centre's scientific council included experts from six different countries. Both foreign specialists and Russian specialists who had earlier left Russia to work abroad have expressed interest in working at the centre.
Vladimir Putin promised to see to the issues of the new paediatric oncology centre, including those related to financing, housing for specialists and the relocation of a LUKOIL filling station away from the centre.
During the tour around the hospital, the prime minister also took part in the hospital's landscaping. Together with children who were once treated for cancer related diseases, he planted a fir tree at the entrance.
The construction of the centre is being personally monitored by the prime minister. The centre is to be opened on June 1, 2011 -- International Children's Day.
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Transcript of Prime Minister Putin’s meeting with senior staff of the Federal Research and Clinical Centre for Paediatric Haematology, Oncology and Immunology:
Vladimir Putin: Mr Rumyantsev, are you satisfied with the progress being made on the construction of the centre?
Alexander Rumyantsev: It’s been five years since the decision was made…
Vladimir Putin: And construction began three years ago, right?
Alexander Rumyantsev: Two years ago. Construction has been going on for two and a half years, 26 months to be exact. We’re on schedule.
Vladimir Putin: So the centre will open on International Children’s Day, on June 1 of next year, correct?
Alexander Rumyantsev: Yes, on International Children’s Day. We’ll have a big celebration.
You may remember that when we started this project I asked you whether you thought it would be finished in our lifetime. And you asked whose lifetime I was referring to. I was talking about my lifetime actually.
We are very grateful to you and Ms Golikova (Minister of Healthcare and Social Development) for the attention you have given us. This will be a truly innovative centre, unparalleled in the world. We’ll bring together specialists in different fields that will determine the future of medicine. Here they will conduct research of the human body over the entire course of development, from fertilisation to adulthood. And this will enable us to focus on major issues in basic medicine.
Vladimir Putin: So this may become an international research centre you mean?
Alexander Rumyantsev: Yes, it is moving in that direction. The centre’s board includes experts from six major countries. It is headed by German specialists, who are monitoring the progress made on this project. We hold consultations with them regularly.
Many people outside Russia know that this centre is being created, and some of our colleagues who left Russia to be educated abroad are now returning. We are creating jobs for them.
Vladimir Putin: Do they need housing?
Alexander Rumyantsev: The centre has a relatively small area, only 4.5 hectares. There’s just not enough space to build housing here. But these specialists didn’t cut off their ties to Russia. Many of them still have flats in Moscow.
Vladimir Putin: Anyway, please submit your housing requests for the specialists who would like to return to live and work in Moscow. We will help you.
Alexander Rumyantsev: Thank you for this. Several specialists…
Vladimir Putin: As a matter of fact – excuse me for interrupting you – but I’d like to emphasise that this applies both to those who will return from abroad and those who will come here from other regions in Russia. There are quite a few good specialists in the regions, as far as I know.
Alexander Rumyantsev: We have built a good residential centre for children and their parents. There are rooms upstairs where we can accommodate…
Vladimir Putin: But this is only temporary, isn’t it?
Alexander Rumyantsev: Yes, it is. But we’ll submit a request to the government, of course. Several leading German specialists have agreed to work at this centre with us beginning from its opening.
The centre has attracted people through its openness and transparency. We’re not trying to hide anything. We’d like to work with international specialists and make this a truly international centre.
There are 86 centres operating in this area of medicine across the country. They employ about 600 specialists and can provide inpatient care to almost 3,500 people. We are doing our best to bring them together. As you can see, the president of the Association of Paediatric Haemotologists and Oncologists is present here today. We have established a specific university department to train the specialists that we’ll need. I’m sure that this project is bound to succeed.
Vladimir Putin: Recovery rates are quite high, as far as I know. What’s the percentage now?
Alexander Rumyantsev: Approximately 80%.
Vladimir Putin: 80%?
Alexander Rumyantsev: Yes, that’s the average rate in cancer treatment.
Vladimir Putin: But it’s a bit lower than in Europe.
Alexander Rumyantsev: It’s at the same level as in Europe.
Vladimir Putin: So you have caught up?
Alexander Rumyantsev: We’ve achieved very good results in the treatment of several forms of cancer. This was a major task, but the final results depend not only on our expertise but also on other factors, including social conditions, the supply of drugs, operating supplies and specific equipment. All of this took some time.
Vladimir Putin: Congratulations on these excellent results.
Alexander Rumyantsev: But there’s still much to be done on other forms of cancer, and we’re going to attend to this.
Vladimir Putin: We just had a discussion with Minister Golikova about what needs to be provided to you. To my knowledge, you need equipment to produce microorganisms that live a short period of time, from 20 minutes to two hours…
Alexander Rumyantsev: Yes, several types of equipment…
Vladimir Putin: We could buy a cyclotron for you.
Tatyana Golikova: We need to obtain a permit to bring it to Russia for medical research purposes. Specialists of this centre could…
Remark: We have enough space for it. Everything has been…
Alexander Rumyantsev: Agreed…
Vladimir Putin: As you know, these microorganisms are produced in Dubna and St Petersburg.
Remark: But they cannot survive being transported.
Alexander Rumyantsev: True. It takes too much time to transport them. Every day…
Galina Novichkova (deputy director of the Federal Research and Clinical Centre for Paediatric Haematology, Oncology and Immunology): We simply won’t manage it.
Alexander Rumyantsev: Transporting it will take too long. Radioactive glucose, for one, will expire in a matter of hours. We simply won’t be able to bring it in time.
Vladimir Putin: Will it be necessary to build any additional facilities for the cyclotron?
Galina Novichkova: No, it is small and it will fit in the space we have.
Alexander Rumyantsev: No, it won’t require any extra construction. It is a special cyclotron. We don’t have anything like it yet. It can produce 300 radionuclides a day, which is enough for the clinic.
Galina Novichkova: It costs a bit more than a million dollars.
Alexander Rumyantzev: 40 million roubles.
Vladimir Putin: A little over a million dollars.
Galina Novichkova: But this is without transportation costs and customs fees. This is the manufacturer’s price.
Vladimir Putin: I understand -- two million dollars all in all. Okay, we’ll deal with it.
Alexander Rumyantsev: As for the nearby Lukoil fuel station, I’ve prepared all the documents for you.
Vladimir Putin: I’ll talk to the company’s executives.
Alexander Rumyantsev: If you have the opportunity because…
Vladimir Putin: They will understand this problem.
Alexander Rumyantsev: Thank you very much.
Vladimir Putin: They are decent people.
Alexander Rumyantsev: Thank you very much. We discussed all the issues with Ms Golikova before you arrived. And I think if we need something else…
Vladimir Putin: Are there any problems that may prevent you from following the schedule? I’m referring to the delivery of equipment and its assembly, customs and administrative issues.
Galina Novichkova: Yes, we do have some problems.
Vladimir Putin: Don’t hesitate to ask me. This is a major project, so if you have any difficulties…
Alexander Rumyantsev: In the beginning of this year when funding was allocated in the budget for this year and the next one, we received 2.63 billion roubles for this year as expected. We wrote a letter to you about this… Next year we are due to receive 3.66 billion roubles, which is quite a large amount. But we had a deadline and we requested to increase…
Vladimir Putin: To increase the funding.
Alexander Rumyantsev: This year… we have already used up all the money…
Vladimir Putin: Do you need more money this year?
Alexander Rumyantsev: If it is possible.
Galina Novichkova: Not to add, but to adjust funding.
Vladimir Putin: Beginning from next year and adding more this year.
Alexander Rumyantsev: We asked for 800 million because we had to…
Tatyana Golikova: In principle, it is possible to earmark 800 million.
Alexander Rumyantsev: This year… We had to purchase…
Vladimir Putin: Using the available funds?
Tatyana Golikova: Yes, there are funds, and the current budget makes it possible to do this.
Vladimir Putin: Are you talking about the ministry’s funds?
Tatyana Golikova: We have the funds that allow us to…
Vladimir Putin: …to transfer spending from one item to another. Let’s do that.
Alexander Rumyantsev: Thank you.
Vladimir Putin: Do you need additional funds from the Finance Ministry?
Galina Novichkova: No, we don’t. We need them to agree to issue a number of administrative documents.
Vladimir Putin: We’ll discuss this at the Government Presidium today.
Alexander Rumyantsev: We have purchased and brought in equipment that requires extra construction, that is all heavy instruments, including tomographs, accelerators, an angiograph, equipment for operating rooms and intensive care units. We have brought in equipment that requires installation.
Vladimir Putin: Have special premises been built for this equipment?
Alexander Rumyantsev: Of course, but I can’t pay for them.
Galina Novichkova: They are built-in devices.
Alexander Rumyantsev: But I can’t pay for them. If we receive these additional funds, we’ll fulfill all of our commitments for this year. Next year funding will be reduced by the amount we will have spent.
Vladimir Putin: Mr Maschan, how are you going to use the centre’s research facilities?
Alexei Maschan, deputy director: The research facilities of the centre will have to tackle major tasks, primarily those linked with cell technology, which, I think, cause a lot of controversy. This centre is designed to demonstrate the proper use of cell technology and gene therapy, which is now becoming more common. There are some genetic diseases that are caused by the loss of one gene. It must be inserted into the right cells correctly. The technology to do this now exists.
Vladimir Putin: It must be inserted into this cell.
Alexei Maschan: Exactly. Regrettably, the problem is where to place it because the previous attempts did not produce the desired effect. The gene was misplaced, which set off dangerous processes. Now the technology has been improved. I think that after some time we’ll become a centre for gene therapy.
Finally, we will pursue cell therapy by teaching cells in the immune system to fight tumours and viruses themselves. This is vital for patients that still have some tumours after chemotherapy or transplants. These will be our major goals. Additionally, we’ll have professionals that will be able to operate the new equipment and provide patients with proper treatment.
Vladimir Putin: So, there are two components – equipment and specialists and now you are working on securing both.
Alexei Maschan: Because of the funding, we haven’t had major problems with getting equipment, but finding staff is always a more delicate issue. We are actively working to train people both here and abroad. We have a group of very serious, motivated young and middle-aged scientists that will be able to work at the proper level. As Mr Rumyantsev said, some people will come from abroad to help us and we also have our own specialists – both young and old. We think that international cooperation will lead to success.
Vladimir Putin: I had the pleasure to meet some of your foreign colleagues. It was really pleasant to see people who are so devoted to their profession. They are simply fanatics.
Aleksei Maschan: Only fanatics work in this profession. People who are more casual about it leave very quickly.
Alexei Rumyantsev: We have received support from the German Foreign Office, in the form of 200 scholarships for training our people. Two groups of Russian specialists have been studying German for two years at no cost. The Goethe Institute holds classes for our specialists.
Vladimir Putin: Is it here in Moscow?
Alexander Rumyantsev: Yes, here in Moscow. One of these groups has a class now, at 4 p.m. Everyone who works in one of 18 subspecialties will receive additional training in special clinics.
The ministry helps us prepare specialists through postgraduate courses, residencies and doctoral studies. This year we recruited many graduates from the medical and biological department of Nikolai Pirogov Russian State Medical University. We are training them as they used to do in the theatre – there is a group attached to a director from among our seasoned specialists. We conduct special classes with them. We train specialists in laboratory diagnostics, radiology and functional diagnostics. Our institution will be young. I’m the oldest person here and all of the other 41 specialists and all the professors are relatively young. Now we have admitted a third generation, the graduates.
Vladimir Putin: How much do you make?
Alexander Rumyantsev: My monthly salary is 33,000 roubles. As the director, I also receive large quarterly bonuses depending on the results of my work.
Vladimir Putin: What’s the average salary at the centre?
Galina Novichkova: It is 4,600 roubles.
Alexander Rumyantsev: It’s the basic salary. We hope it will be raised…
Our new statute designates the centre a budget-funded scientific institution that can accept several sources of funding. I can’t say we’re using many sources now – we haven’t yet finished construction after all. But we receive support from charities and funds and through scholarships.
Vladimir Putin: What was the average salary at the old hospital?
Alexander Rumyantsev: Between 15,000 and 20,000 roubles.
Tatyana Golikova: These are the salaries of the specialists that provide high-tech medical care.
Alexander Rumyantsev: But we don’t provide such services yet.
Tatyana Golikova: Such specialists receive quite high salaries now, up to 120,000 roubles.
Alexander Rumyantsev: You know, even nurses at the Russian Paediatric Clinical Hospital receive between 20,000 and 30,000 roubles. Doctors are paid much more…
Vladimir Putin: Much more?
Alexander Rumyantsev: Yes, between 40,000 and 50,000 roubles, and some specialists receive even more.
Tatyana Golikova: We have drafted several versions of cost estimates for next year depending on how many facilities are brought into operation.
Vladimir Putin: I think you understand why I’m asking you this question. To attract quality specialists, in particular those who have worked abroad, you need to have high-tech labs and equipment, pay them high salaries and provide them with housing.
Alexander Rumyantsev: We can’t do it yet, at least until the facilities are operational. Hopefully, if we manage to keep the schedule and open the centre on June 1, starting in 2012 we’ll receive in full…
Tatyana Golikova: Starting a bit earlier in fact…
Alexander Rumyantsev: Yes, a bit earlier if it works out, but we’ll begin to receive state support in full starting in 2012. These funds will mainly go toward high-tech projects.
Vladimir Putin: Through the order you mean?
Alexander Rumyantsev: Yes, though the state order.
Vladimir Putin: Okay, we’ll make the necessary preparations.
Tatyana Golikova: Mr Prime Minister, there is yet one more critical problem we need to discuss. Ms Novichkova, please.
Galina Novichkova: As you know, our specialists transplant bone marrow, including that from unrelated donors. We have to search for marrow on international database and bring it to Russia. Now that the Customs Union has been brought into operation and new legislation has come into effect…
Previously it took much effort to bring marrow to Russia. We had to apply for a one-time permit, an informed consent, a certificate from the board… All was done by volunteers. Doctors had to do it all themselves.
Vladimir Putin: I’m aware of this problem.
Galina Novichkova: But the new legislation holds that marrow and haematogenic stem cells are a commodity and must be assigned a monetary value. But they are priceless. Donors give them to patients for free. What we have to pay for is customs duties and side services, like brokers’ services. But we just can’t do it for each patient.
Tatyana Golikova: But we cannot violate the law either.
Galina Novichkova: Stem cells die 24 hours after removed from the body of a donor. And a patient can also die unless he has them transplanted in time. They now have more trouble with it than…
Tatyana Golikova: The Ministry of Economic Development should be tasked with…
Galina Novichkova: We do not perform many transplant operations yet, but when we open the new centre, we’ll operate on many more such patients. These operations are very complex.
Tatyana Golikova: We still have some time to take the necessary administrative measures to settle this problem. We have already requested that this issue be raised with our international partners…
Vladimir Putin: I’m sure there will be no problems here. Belarusian and Kazakh partners…
Tatyana Golikova: They are also addressing this issue…
Vladimir Putin: Yes, and they are interested in delivering biological material in a timely manner and making this process trouble-free. Their citizens will also be treated at this centre after all. We’ll certainly settle it.
Galina Novichkova: Thank you.
Alexander Rumyantsev: So, on June 1 we’ll hold an inauguration, and in the evening we’ll have a big charity concert – preparations are underway already.
Vladimir Putin: You and I should make speeches there…
Alexander Rumyantsev: Between June 2 and 4 the Association of Paediatric Haematologists and Oncologists from Germany and Russia will hold a forum here. And this will not be just a gathering on the occasion of the inauguration. This will be routine work that will begin as soon as the centre opens. Our scientific board will also attend. And they’d like to see you here as well.
Tatyana Golikova: The main thing is that those who have left Russia to work abroad will also attend.
Alexander Rumyantsev: Yes, we’ll gather them all here.
Galina Novichkova: They have become excellent specialists and hold leading positions…
Vladimir Putin: Good.
Alexander Rumyantsev: So we’re getting prepared…
Vladimir Putin: Yes, on June 1. Good.