Russian Government Recommended To Draw Up Programme For Healthy Living

Parliamentary hearings held in Moscow have recommended the Russian government to draw up and approve a special federal programme of healthy living. It was proposed to give tax breaks to investors who would contribute to the implementation of this programme. Participants also asked the government to report annually to the Federal Assembly of Russia (parliament) about the state of health in the country. The cabinet of ministers was also recommended to formulate a concept of the state policy of countering the use of wines and spirits and drug addiction among the population and also to allocate from 2002 on finances for a federal special programme, "The Healthy Child", for 2002-2006. Among other recommendations is a proposal to set up a system for monitoring the health and physical condition of the Russian population. The Ministry of Education was recommended to examine inclusion into the federal educational standard the subject "Healthy Living" and the Ministry of the Press to draft amendments to the laws on mass media, requesting that some of their information resources be devoted to popularising a healthy way of life.