Russia will allocate 4.5 billion rubles ($159.7 million) in 2011 to provide its citizens with hi-tech medical care, the Russian government said on its website on Friday.
A total of 55 Russian regions will receive subsidies from the federal budget to improve medical treatment, a government decree said.
The biggest sum of money - more than 456 million rubles ($16.18 million) - will be allocated to the southern Krasnodar region. Moscow and St. Petersburg will receive 353 and 362 million rubles ($12.52 million and $12.84 million), respectively. The East Siberian Kemerovo region will get the least money - 3.6 million rubles (about $127,000).
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Friday that the development of domestic hi-tech medical equipment production should be a priority for the Russian government and regional heads. The statement came during an inter-regional meeting of the pro-Kremlin United Russia party in the western city of Bryansk.
Late last year, Putin said the number of Russian citizens who received hi-tech medical care had increased fivefold to 290,000 people over the last five years.
He also said the Russian government was planning to spend a total of 135 billion rubles ($4.79 billion) on the development of hi-tech medical treatment in 2008-2013.
MOSCOW, March 5 (RIA Novosti)
