Deputy Head of Sverdlovsk Region Government for Social Policy Vladimir Vlasov chaired a meeting of the regional Healthcare Committee to discuss their performance in 2006 and plans for this year.

The authorities spent over 22 billion RUR on the so-called state-funded guarantees; the total number of investments in the national projects and state programs amounted to 26 billion.

The population loss went down 8%, or to 20,000 people, birth rate rose 3% and reached the point of 10.7 infants per 1,000 people, with the town of Aramil reaching the level of the stable year 1996 (15.4 infants per 1,000 people).

Mr. Vlasov said the death rate among working-age population and maternal mortality rate still remained very high. To make matters worse, local citizens usually have to wait for a long time before they can be taken to hospital.