Transcript of the beginning of the meeting:
Dmitry Medvedev: Good afternoon. Today we will be discussing the financing of social projects, but before we begin I’d like to address a different issue. A tragedy has occurred in the Moscow Region. People have died in a hospital, both patients and medical personnel. Ms Skvortsova (Veronika Skvortsova, Minister of Healthcare), I want you to go there now.
Of course, the Governor and other officials, including law enforcement officials, have conveyed their condolences from the Government and from me personally to the relatives of the victims. They have also analysed the situation at the hospital to determine what went wrong, because it appears that the fire alarms were in working order and that they went off. On the other hand, there are certain rules to be followed in such situations. Various concerned agencies will deal with this issue, but we also need the Ministry of Healthcare and other departments to analyse what happened.
I have spoken with the acting Governor; they have taken all necessary decisions. However, if it turns out that they need something we should have proposals ready. All the necessary medical assistance should be provided to the relatives of the victims. I say again that the Ministry of Healthcare must analyse what happened and draw conclusions while working in direct contact with the top healthcare officials of the Moscow Region, because this was a regional hospital. I want you to report on all of this in writing and in speech.
<...>