May 13, 2011

Half of the president's reserve fund will be used for the acquisition of specialized equipment for nursing Newborn Children with low birth weight.

President Russia Dmitry Medvedev has allocated 350 million rubles from the reserve fund for the purchase of specialized equipment for the care of babies with low birth weight. The president has promised a meeting with the medical staff of the hospital № 1 in Kostroma that today will sign an appropriate order on the acquisition of equipment for the maternity homes of the country.

Allocation of funds for such needs, primarily dictated by the desire to preserve as much as possible the number of newborns with low birth weight. It also has another reason, as emphasized by the President. The fact is that in 2012 Russia will switch to standards imposed by the World Health Organization, on the part of reference statistics fertility children.

Currently, the Russian statistics do not take into account infants born weighing less than 1 kg and died after giving birth in the first week. According to the standards WHO , Live births - is all newborns weighing more than 500 grams and born after 22 weeks of pregnancy.

Officials fear that due to the transition to the new standards, all positive in recent years, statistics fertility may be subject to tangible adjustments.

Employees Kostroma hospital supported the intention of the President and expressed the view that the birth rate statistics worsen, but these figures are unlikely to substantially affect the overall positive dynamics of growth of the birth rate in the country. Now, with the acquisition of the equipment can ensure a successful outcome for any pregnancy .