MOSCOW, April 10. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has handed down instructions to train various medical specialists to treat COVID-19, and this effort will involve professors and students of medical institutes in combating the coronavirus, if the need arises. Such a demand is included in a list of orders, compiled following the President’s March 30 meeting with his Plenipotentiary Representatives in Federal Districts, published Friday.
"Take measures to fully equip medical organizations […] with medical personnel. If needed, provide for the reassignment of medics from other specialties; obtain medics and medical personnel from other medical organizations; engage professors, post-graduates and students from secondary and higher medical educational facilities and scientific organizations; and involve information and communications technology specialists," reads the presidential order to the Russian government, heads of Russian regions and the State Council working group on the coronavirus.
In addition, the president issued instructions to organize the training of medics on providing medical assistance in using ventilators and other means.
"Take measures to organize the maintenance and repairs of relevant equipment, hardware and infrastructure, including medical, communications and technological equipment, municipal infrastructure, while taking reserves being created into account," the order says.
The document also instructs the regions to establish inter-regional cooperation when providing medical aid, "including the transportation and hospitalization of patients from other regions of the Russian Federation."
The recipients of this order must provide an initial report on their results before April 20, followed by weekly reports from that date on, the document says.