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This figure was announced by the Chairman of the St Petersburg Health Committee, Valery Kolabutin, at the opening ceremony of the St Petersburg International Health Forum. According to Kolabutin, the state programme will enable new healthcare facilities to be built, hospitals and polyclinics will be equipped according to international standards, and the latest medical technologies will become accessible to Russian citizens. As a result, the country’s population will grow and life expectancy will increase. “All this is the result of the huge amount of painstaking work done by the organisations represented here today at the Forum. This year, the new Expoforum Convention and Exhibition Centre highlighted the potential of the healthcare industry through participants from 12 Russian regions and 14 other countries, making this event an additional effective resource for the development of the sector in Russia”, Kolabutin noted.

This view was supported by the Deputy Chairman of the St Petersburg Legislative Assembly, Pavel Soltan, who added that the Forum is also a unique platform for sharing experience, where specialists have the opportunity to find out about new global approaches and projects and present their own scientific research, thereby helping to improve the quality of healthcare for all.

The St Petersburg International Health Forum is the only platform for professionals in the healthcare industry which brings together the three main players in the MICE industry ‒ ExpoForum International, Messe Düsseldorf Moscow and Primexpo. The high level of interest from the professional community is testament to the Forum’s significance: in 2013, it attracted more than 3,500 specialists from various sectors of the industry.

Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Management Committee at Gazprom, announced the start of the rally at the forum’s opening ceremony. According to Miller, natural gas motor fuel is currently a priority for the gas industry in both Russia and Europe. “The aim of the rally is to popularise natural gas as the most environmentally friendly and cost-effective motor fuel, as well as to promote efforts to organise mass production of domestic automotive technology running on natural gas”, he said.

This opinion was supported by Senior Vice-President of E.ON Global Commodities Uwe Fip, who highlighted the fact that the rally, which has already been held for 8 years and covers practically every country in Europe, proves that you can drive a car without polluting the environment. “I firmly believe that the St. Petersburg–Verona rally will mark the start of a new era in natural gas”, he stressed.

Over the course of the forum, particular attention will be paid to production techniques and methods of transporting liquefied natural gas, as well as the use of gas as a motor fuel. Some 1,500 delegates from 25 countries will be participating in the event, including representatives from major oil and gas companies such as Gazprom, Statoil, Wintershall Holding, E.ON, Shell, and operators in key industry sectors such as xperion Energy & Environment, and McKinsey. More than 400 participants will showcase their projects over 25,000 square metres of exhibition space.