The international conference "The Role of Interaction between the Political Party Factions and Blocs in Inter-parliamentary Cooperation among the CIS Countries" was held in the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation in Moscow.
The parliamentary delegation from South Ossetia, headed by Zita Besaeva, First Deputy Speaker of the Parliament and Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Legislation, Rule of Law, and Local Self-Government, participated in the conference.
The South Ossetian delegation also included Deputy Speaker of the Parliament Taimuraz Tadtaev, MP Atsamaz Bibilov, leader of the United Ossetia faction, Alexander Pliev, Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Social Policy and Healthcare, and Vera Gagloeva, Assistant to the First Deputy Speaker of the Parliament.
Speaking at the conference, Zita Besaeva warmly welcomed the conference participants and noted the importance of the platform provided for exchanging opinions and experiences in key areas where cooperation is especially needed.
"We are all heirs to the Soviet Union, and in many post-Soviet republics, the fundamental approaches to healthcare laid down in our once-shared country still apply. In developing healthcare legislation in South Ossetia, we relied on the Soviet experience, and in recent years, we have harmonized legislation with the Russian Federation, with which we have close cooperation, signed agreements, and established joint commissions, which contributes to the development of this area," Besaeva stated.
The parliamentarian has noted that South Ossetian healthcare legislation is aimed at creating conditions for the healthcare system that enable public health education, disease prevention, provision of medical care to citizens, training of medical and pharmaceutical workers, and support and development of the healthcare system's logistics.
"The main emphasis is on legislatively enshrined access to medical services and the opportunity to receive free treatment for all segments of the population, including those in remote areas and high mountains. This is the Soviet legacy, and it's unlikely that anywhere else in the world offers such opportunities. Insurance-based healthcare is a different system, and active legislative work is also underway. According to our legislation, public health is a factor in ensuring national security, respect for human and civil rights in the area of public health, and ensuring the state guarantees associated with these rights,"Zita Besayeva. said
According to her, social justice is guaranteed in the exercise of citizens' rights in the area of healthcare, social protection in the event of loss of health, and priority is given to disease prevention measures, ensuring the sanitary and epidemiological well-being of the population, health education, and promoting a healthy lifestyle.
Besayva has also added that special attention is being paid to the healthy lifestyle of the younger generation and young people in the Republic, and the government and Parliament are taking comprehensive measures to this end.
The Deputy Speaker has stated that South Ossetia has introduced administrative penalties for the import, production, storage, distribution, and sale of electronic nicotine delivery systems (2021). Administrative and criminal penalties have been established for the illegal import, acquisition, storage, processing, and sale, as well as the non-medical use of the drug "Lyrica" and its analogs, which contain the active ingredients "Pregabalin" and "Gabapentin." A ban has been established on the import, transportation, storage, production, distribution, and sale of energy drinks (including tonic drinks), soft drinks, and low-alcohol drinks, as well as a number of other regulations.
Zita Besaeva has noted that the South Ossetian healthcare system is a strategic sector of the national economy, ensuring population reproduction, social guarantees, and the health of citizens.
"By maintaining budget funding as the source of free medical care for the population, the South Ossetian healthcare system receives the additional boost from extra-budgetary funding through voluntary health insurance and paid services. The work is underway to provide legislative support for the development of all these new areas. We recognize that public health is the foundation of the country's economic and social prosperity, the main component of its resource potential," the parliamentarian has emphasized.
The country's security, efficiency, and quality of work, as well as the reproduction of its labor potential, depend on the health of people, she added.
"Strategic interests require maintaining and strengthening the health of its population," the parliamentarian said.
In conclusion, Zita Besaeva has emphasized that the South Ossetian parliamentary delegation expects the conference to be informative, and that legislative experience in various countries on health protection provides valuable information.
"We hope to develop cooperation with legislators from our strategic partner, the Russian Federation, and legislators from other friendly countries," the First Deputy Speaker of the South Ossetian Parliament said.
Furthermore, the South Ossetian delegation, along with the parliamentary delegations from the CIS countries, laid flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow's Alexander Garden.
