The region’s competitiveness is defined by the health of its people — Irina Gekht

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The competitiveness of a region is determined by its people, and for people, education and healthcare come first. Governor of the Nenets Autonomous Area Irina Gekht shared this view during the series of Meetings with heads of Russian regions "Platform of the Future: Region-2030. 100 Steps" held at the National Centre RUSSIA.

"The main problem of healthcare in the Nenets Autonomous Area lies not so much in past shortcomings as in the remoteness and limited accessibility of many settlements. That is why we plan to develop telemedicine and support our joint projects with subsoil users — ‘Children of the Arctic’ and ‘Red Chum’," said Irina Gekht.

"Red Chum" is a social medical project that provides accessible medical care, examinations and treatment for residents and nomads from the northernmost parts of the Nenets Autonomous Area. The idea is over a hundred years old; it was relaunched in 2002 and later received financial support from the regional government.

Another project, "Children of the Arctic", aims to preserve and develop the culture of the indigenous peoples of the North, with key goals including improving the quality of children’s education and maintaining the linguistic environment in the Arctic zone.

"We want to reboot the ‘Children of the Arctic’ project. Leading paediatricians will soon visit the region to assess not only children’s physical health but also their psycho-emotional state and cognitive abilities in conditions of limited sunlight. This will help us make systemic decisions to adjust preventive programmes in the Area. We are talking not only about vitamin D but possibly other components that may be needed based on the study’s results," explained Irina Gekht.

According to the Governor, new feldsher-obstetric stations (FAPs) are now being actively launched and tested in the Nenets Autonomous Area. These facilities allow medical workers to use digital technologies even without internet access: the system stores all data locally and uploads it once the connection is restored — for example, electrocardiograms. Such information is essential for regular monitoring conducted by the district hospital.

"The second aspect is remote patient monitoring. Our region is no exception — cardiovascular diseases are the most common here. We are currently purchasing over a thousand blood pressure monitors that will be connected to a unified system. This will enable people with hypertension to transmit their readings and receive real-time treatment adjustments and additional consultations. Similar support will also be provided for patients with type 2 diabetes, who will be able to monitor their blood sugar daily to prevent critical conditions and take timely action," said Irina Gekht.

In addition, air ambulance services are widely used in the region, the Governor noted. According to her, this is a common practice for the region.

"For us, it’s a way of life, because there is simply no other way to deliver patients to the district hospital. Thanks to our pilots, flights are made not only to the settlements of the Nenets Autonomous Area but also to ships travelling along our coast — patients are airlifted from there as well," she said.

The Governor stressed that the Nenets Autonomous Area has set an ambitious goal — to become a region free of oncological diseases. In addition to preventive check-ups, regular medical screenings for adults will be organised to detect diseases at an early stage and, if necessary, urgently transport patients to medical facilities in Moscow or St Petersburg. Cancer patients will also be guaranteed full access to necessary medications. Moreover, the region already has a vaccination programme against the human papillomavirus, which effectively prevents cervical cancer. The Nenets Autonomous Area plans to make this procedure gender-neutral, as men also need such vaccination.

"This comprehensive approach will bring tangible results. What is good about the Nenets Autonomous Area? It has small population: with a well-organised system and effective management decisions, we can achieve positive results quite quickly. I hope that in five years, healthcare will become the sector we will proudly present to the country as a true success story," concluded Irina Gekht.