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Finance minister suggests taking Russian ‘Sanitary Shield’ project to global level

According to the minister, this mechanism could become a part of the reformed global healthcare system

MOSCOW, October 30. /TASS/. Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov suggested expanding Russia’s Sanitary Shiled project to the global level, the Russian Finance Ministry said on its website on Saturday.

"Russia is helping other countries to fight the pandemic, both on the bilateral and on the multilateral level: in the form of delivering vaccines, personal protection equipment, medicines and providing other technical assistance," the ministry quoted Finance Minister Anton Siluanov as saying in its statement.

The statement, issued to comment on the results of the G20 healthcare and finance ministers’ meeting in Rome, held on the sidelines of the G20 summit on Friday, October 29, also says that the Russian finance minister informed participants about "measures that Russia is implementing on the national level, particularly the ‘Sanitary Shield’ project" and "suggested creating a similar mechanism on the global level."

According to the minister, this mechanism could become a part of the reformed global healthcare system.

In his earlier address to Russia’s bicameral parliament, the Federal Assembly, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia must have "a strong and secure shield" in the sphere of sanitary and biological safety with the maximal use of Russian equipment and domestic components. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin explained that the "Sanitary Shield" should be created by opening a country-wide network of laboratories for rapid and accessible diagnostics of infections.

Earlier, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said the ‘Sanitary Shield’ project, expected to take place until 2024, should be extended until 2030.

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