On December 9, 2007, the Russian Health Care Week came to an end. Zdravookhraneniye’2007, the 17th International Exhibition for Health Care, Medical Engineering and Pharmaceuticals became the focal point of the Week. The Exhibition has been held at Expocentre Fairgrounds for over 30 years and is one of the major Expocentre’s trade shows.

The Exhibition is organized by Expocentre with support from the Ministry of Health Care and Social Development of the Russian Federation, the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation, the Federal Agency on Public Health and Social Development, the Moscow City Government and the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences. The event is held under the auspices of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation.

Zdravookhraneniye proudly carries logos UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, and RUEF, the Russian Union of Exhibitions and Fairs. It is an established leader of the Russian medical trade shows.

In 2006, the Exhibition was incorporated into the Russian Health Care Week. The net exhibition area of more than 20 000 sq. m. encompassed all sectors of modern medicine and health care systems. The total attendance made up 23 717 visitors (94% of them were specialists). All of them obtained complete information on the latest advances in medical engineering and health care.

The 17th edition of the Exhibition put on show products of over 1000 companies, institutions and enterprises from 39 countries. The national exhibition of the Russian Federation was organized by the Federal Agency on Public Health and Social Development with support from the Ministry of Health Care and Social Development and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation. Zdravookhraneniye also displayed national expositions of Germany, Spain, China, Pakistan, Korea, Taiwan, France and Finland.

French companies returned to the Exhibition after a 10 years’ break. France’s official pavilion showcased 17 world leading manufacturers of medical equipment and consumables.

Booths of such well-known foreign companies as Aloka, Apexmed, Carl Zeiss, Chirana, Iskra, Konicaminolta, Philips, Schiller, Siemens, Stormoff, Westfalia and others attracted a great interest as well.

The 2007 Exhibition enjoyed a considerable increase in the number of Russian participants on the previous years. At Zdravookhraneniye’2007 our country was represented by more than 700 exhibitors, making up 70 % of the total exhibitors number. The domestic exhibitors included AMICO, BIMK Cardio-Volga, Triton Electronics, Tyumen Plant of Medical Equipment and Instruments, Elektron and many other companies.

The Russian Health Care Week incorporated the Russian Forum “Implementation of the Top Priority National Projects in Health Care” that discussed supplies of medical equipment and drugs purchased under the National Health Care Priority Project, enhanced availability of high-tech medical aid, staff training and education and many other subjects.

A great interest was aroused by an innovation at the Zdravookhraneniye show – the Centre for Professional Education and Career, addressing the demands of the day. One of the main tasks of the National Health Care Project is to create a country-wide and well-adjusted system of staff education and advanced training. The Centre demonstrated systems of medical higher and vocational education; educational programmes for junior medical staff, offered by leading Russian medical education institutions; medical schools and colleges, as well as professional development programmes for junior specialists and practicing physicians.

A wide range of themes was discussed at the 9th Russian Scientific Forum ‘Stomatology’2007’, devoted to the 45th anniversary of the Central Scientific and Research Institute of Stomatology. The 1000-Bed Hospital Association ran a conference that featured main trends in the development of large hospitals. A general meeting of the 1000-Bed Hospital Association assessed some results of its activity.

Educational events and workshops, included into the programme of accompanying events, offered comprehensive information on the latest medical technologies and equipment and provided a platform for interaction and discussion of topical issues in modern health care.

It was the first time that Expocentre’s system of on-line meeting arrangements – the MatchMaking System – was operating at Zdravookhraneniye. It made the show even more effective for professional buyers and exhibitors. A business centre equipped with modern communication and office facilities was at the service of both the exhibitors and visitors for meetings prearranged via the MatchMaking System.

Zdravookhraneniye’2007 became a great platform to assess the first results of the National Health Care Priority Project, to analyze development trends in the Russian health care, to work out long term tasks and update plans for the next year. This work will undoubtedly provide for a rising quality and affordability of medical services in this country.

The Zdravookhraneniye’2008 International Exhibition will be held at Expocentre Fairgrounds on December 8-12, 2008.