Transcript of the beginning of the meeting:

Dmitry Medvedev: Colleagues, Let’s start our meeting with some good news. I have signed a directive on Government Prizes in Education for 2012. In all, 20 such prizes worth a million roubles each will be awarded. These prizes will be awarded to our talented educators, teachers, professors, those who design curricula and the authors of textbooks. In effect, they will be received by those who ensure the development of the national education system through their own initiatives. I would like to congratulate all of them.

And now let’s discuss some current issues. Just to remind you, in April of this year we discussed an important issue for young people, “mobile network slavery” because many people are irritated by it. Mobile phone users are unable to retain their phone numbers if they change providers. This is an annoying detail, especially when your relatives, family and friends know your phone number well. I have instructed the concerned parties to draft a bill on this. This practice exists all over the world. International experience shows that consumers eventually win in this field. We should decide on what kind of service this should be. The amendments have been drafted. To the best of my knowledge, they are being made to the Law “On Communications.” Am I right, Mr Dvorkovich? (Addressing Arkady Dvorkovich)

Arkady Dvorkovich: Yes, the amendments are being made to the Law “On Communications.”  

Dmitry Medvedev: United Russia also supports them. I have talked to members of parliament about this. So what will happen? Will it be possible to maintain these phone numbers?

Arkady Dvorkovich: We have drafted the bill together with members of parliament. We have introduced the results in the bill, after coordinating the edited document. The amendments are currently being reviewed by the Government, who will then submit its conclusions. The conclusions will be positive if …

Dmitry Medvedev: If no one objects.

Arkady Dvorkovich: Yes, if there are no objections. Furthermore, bylaws will be drafted and approved over a period of three months. We need five bylaws. All of them are short, but we need them, nonetheless. How can the problem be solved? Every subscriber can retain his or her number, while choosing another operator. At the same time, operators will be reimbursed for their database maintenance expenses from a reserve fund to provide multi-purpose communications services. In effect, we are equating this service with multi-purpose services.

Dmitry Medvedev: How much will consumers have to pay for this?  

Arkady Dvorkovich: Consumers will have to make payments, while choosing another operator, provided the operators agree to collect the payments. The size of the payments will depend …

Dmitry Medvedev: Most likely, they will agree.

Arkady Dvorkovich: Payments will not exceed 100 roubles, but international experience shows that these payments are generally waived in the long run. They are either minimised or not collected at all due to the competition.

Dmitry Medvedev: Let’s see what happens here. Let’s see whether a market economy applies to this country or not.

Arkady Dvorkovich: I believe the payments will most likely decrease rapidly. But initial payments will be stipulated at no more than 100 roubles. Under the bill, the right will be stipulated from December 1, 2013.  

Dmitry Medvedev: That’s good. Let’s see what happens.  Anyway, this will benefit consumers. I hope that mobile operators will not go bankrupt as a result of this service.  

Arkady Dvorkovich: Absolutely not. In reality, the expenses are quite small.

Dmitry Medvedev: All right.

Here is another more complicated subject, that is, specific regulations for calculating the sum total of compensations to people whose health has been damaged. We will reimburse expenses for treating passengers who were carried by various transit systems. Unfortunately, road accidents are rather widespread.

A carrier who has not concluded an agreement with an insurance company will naturally be liable for the same amount as the compensation would have been under an insurance agreement. This regulation has been drafted and issued by the Government, and I have signed the respective resolution. Mr Shuvalov, could you comment on this please. You have been addressing this issue.

Igor Shuvalov: Mr Medvedev, colleagues,

The government resolution you signed will come into force on 1 January and will significantly alter the current procedure, which has been in use since 1992. Until recently, compensation for a public transport accident stood at 12,000 roubles. Therefore many victims preferred not to claim it because the amount is too small. The new regulation raises public transport compensation to 2 million roubles regardless of the type of insurance, and introduces a very simple procedure with coefficients that will enable victims to receive compensation from an insurer for any medical conditions they sustain.

Dmitry Medvedev: Is two million the maximum liability?

Igor Shuvalov: Yes it is. Therefore…

Dmitry Medvedev: Like for air transport?

Igor Shuvalov: Yes, just like for air transport. This resolution is very detailed and includes specific disorders and injuries resulting from transport accidents, with coefficients. Victims can easily calculate the amount of their potential compensation and have the right to apply for compensation twice: first, immediately after the accident, after obtaining a medical appraisal specifying the type of injury incurred as a result of the accident, and again in the event they have additional medical costs afterwards, they can claim against the insurance company to cover these costs.

Moreover, we are gradually increasing the life and health insurance coverage of auto liability policies to 500,000 roubles. Under the new rules, Russian citizens will be better socially protected, while companies working in the insurance market will be motivated to work more effectively and accurately.

Dmitry Medvedev: That’s good. Let’s hope that these rules will apply in the right situations and that the victims of accidents receive decent payouts. There is something else on healthcare, more precisely high-tech medical assistance. I recently chaired a meeting while I was on the road which focused on high-tech medical centres. Huge investments have been made in this sector in recent years. These centres are now operating in 11 regions in Russia. This issue came up repeatedly at our Kaliningrad meeting. But the development of these centres should not stop there, even though they are already displaying impressive results. Thousands of people have been given highly complex surgery with the use of unique technology and expensive equipment. But there are many still on the waiting lists. Let me emphasise that this work needs to continue. I recently signed a resolution to invest federal money in two more high-tech medical projects already under construction. One of them is a rehabilitation and treatment centre for central Russia in St. Petersburg (the Federal Heart, Blood and Endocrinology Centre). We plan to open it in 2017. The second one – the Cerebrovascular Pathology Centre at the Pirogov National Medical University -- will open in 2014. We’ll make the required investment. In general, we should simply monitor the development of this technology in the regions. We should check on their workload and development plans. As far as I know, the last centre is in Barnaul. I recently met with the Governor of the Altai Territory and we discussed it with him. So, Ms Golodets, how is it going? What are your plans?

Olga Golodets: I’d still like to quote some figures to illustrate how these centres, that were planned and built under the programme of high-tech medical aid, have affected public health. From 2006 to 2012 the number of high-tech operations has increased 7.6 times; the number of patients has increased from 60,000 to 458,000 a year. Approximately 1.5 million people have received high-tech medical attention at these centres.

These centres start improving people’s health in the first years that they are open. Thus, patients with cardio-vascular diseases have seen a 7% improvement in their health within a year of the Perm’s centre opening. We are giving priority to these centres because they will drive up the quality of healthcare. The centre in Barnaul was the only headache, but I’m pleased to tell you that the construction company finished it on November 8. Now its personnel are getting ready to accept patients. Both its medical and administrative personnel are working hard and have promised to open the centre this year and receive the first patients in late December. We will report to you about this.

At the meeting last week we discussed the afore-mentioned Almazov centre. The design plans and costs have all been prepared. Construction has already started, and we have no doubt that it will open on schedule. It will be built to the highest standards and is bound to make a radical change in the treatment of the above diseases in Russia.

Dmitry Medvedev: Okay, that sounds good. It is absolutely necessary to monitor the expenses on this centre and the pace of construction to make sure there are no delays.

And one more issue. It is our internal issue but important nonetheless. I have instructed the Government’s Executive Office to analyse the drafting of normative acts envisaged by federal laws (in fact, this is one of the tasks of the Executive Office and the Government as a whole). I have also asked them to check on the implementation of the resolutions of the Constitutional Court in the last 10 years. Things are anything but simple here. To be honest, it is simply unacceptable. More than 200 by-laws, which are required under the current legislation, still have not been worked out, which reflects the quality of work! There are also 58 cases of non-compliance with the decisions of the Constitutional Court. This is an outrageous fact. Under any circumstances and no matter who works there, the Government, as a permanent body, should set an example of legal culture.

This situation didn't just happen -- I want to stress that it developed over a fairly long period of time. It prevents the Government from serving as an example, and is a testimony to nihilistic approaches to work. Before requiring proper conduct from others, we need to streamline our own behaviour.

Therefore, you will need to prepare the appropriate documents with the understanding that these regulations are not just pieces of paper that we have to prepare by law or in compliance with the decisions of the Constitutional Court, but that each such paper reflects interests, protected by law, and people’s vital interests. We must streamline these issues, and I instruct the Government Office to take charge of this work. Mr Surkov, please submit appropriate proposals (addressing Vladislav Surkov).

Vladislav Surkov: I'll take care of it.

Dmitry Medvedev: And another high-profile issue that is being actively discussed in the media and social networking sites is the incident at the Dynamo vs. Zenit match in Khimki. This is a very unfortunate incident or, to put it straight, it is a crime, in fact, an intentional crime. Criminal proceedings have already been launched in this regard, but we also need to prepare legislative amendments aimed at preventing such crimes and offenses. Obviously, it's not just the police that has to be responsible for this, but also the stadium’s management, the clubs, and the fans.

Mr Kozak (addressing Dmitry Kozak), yesterday I assigned Mr Mutko (Vitaly Mutko—Minister of Sport) to work on this issue. Please keep this work under control and submit appropriate proposals. We should treat such offences very seriously. In general, for acts like these people should serve prison terms. Hopefully, the police will eventually identify the offenders. There should be no impunity here.

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