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Prophylaxis of Infectious Diseases
and Providing Medical Assistance
to Social Undefended People
February 16, 2006, Moscow

• Summary on energy security
• Summary on education
• Summary on infectious diseases
• Initiatives and recommendations for the fight against infectious diseases

This document is an attempt to summarize the results of the experts' discussion (held at the Extropolis Conference Center in Moscow on February 16, 2006) on the issues to which, as civil society believes, the attention of the leaders of the G8 nations should be attracted and focused so that they would take additional steps and measures aimed to reduce the threat that infectious diseases pose to mankind development.

Being an interim draft intended for further discussion and elaboration by experts, this document is formatted as a The first speech was made by Alexander Smirnov Ð Head of Medicine Directorate of Federal Penitentiaries and Correction Service. In his speech he stressed that the majority of prisoners come to the penal institutions having already infectious diseases. Rather often they become aware of their illness only in prison, after medical survey. He highly appreciated the participation of Russian and foreign NGOs in helping prisoners, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis diseased and stressed the necessity to create special centers for treatment and adaptation of persons coming out of places of detention

Michail Perelman, Director of the Research and Development Institute of Tuberculosis Pulmonology, stressed the enormous importance of the transfer of the penitentiary system from the jurisdiction of the Internal Ministry to the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice. He is sure the most acute problem today is the treatment of tuberculosis diseased persons, coming out from the places of detention.

Mary Collins, the Head of WHO office in Russia, in her speech mentioned positive examples of tuberculosis treatment within the Russian penitentiary system and said the civil society should help prisoners.

Oleg Zykov, the President of the "Say No to alcohol and Drugs" Foundation, draw the attention of the participants to the moral nature of the problem. The only possibility to treat patients is to see him/her as a person, to mobilize his/her internal resources.

In his speech Serguei Pak, the Head of Department of Infectious Diseases of Sechenov Moscow Academy of Medicine mentioned the infectious nature of all diseases, the impossibility to eliminate all the infections all over the world, because many of them are necessary for the process of life stimulation. He also pointed at the importance to create the infectious diseases global monitoring system and the world educational centers for medical staff.

All the participants stressed the political importance of the issue, the necessity to concentrate special attention at global problems.

Mohga Kamal, the Oxfam Health Adviser, mentioned the importance of the issues being discussed and proposed to respect the succession of the G8-2005 program.

Pierre Carteret, the International medicine Expert, said the governments must improve the conditions in the punishment-oriented institutions, the hygienic conditions, involve more personal and equipment.

The Los-Angeles University Professor of Medicine Ian McGowan said it was very important to provide money for the development of anti-AIDS vaccine, microbicide research, educational programs for adults etc.

The participants decided to determine some priority issues for the further activities, to include details and changes if necessary and to hand it to the moderator for the preparation of the final memorandum.

The preliminary issues are formulated as follows:

• To provide financial resources in the medical sphere for undefended social groups
• To provide equal access of marginalized social groups to medical services
• To perfect medical services, microbicides, contraceptives, children remedies
• To increase resources for infectious diseases research
• To work out together with WHO the system of global monitoring
ª To make a survey of legislative resources, to guarantee access of marginalized social groups to medical services

Source: Civil G8