Interview of the Head of the Kirov region for Komsomolskaya Pravda

Following the Days of the Kirov Region in the Federation Council, the head of the region, Igor Vasiliev, visited the Moscow editorial office of "Komsomolskaya Pravda" and answered questions on the radio station "KP" about healthcare, roads, growth points of the regional economy, and the revival of Kirov enterprises.

About the team.

I select people based on two principles: professionalism and integrity. The team today includes both Kirov residents and specialists from other regions. These are professional people. For example, my deputy for industry, Maxim Nikolaevich Kochetkov. The decision to invite him to Kirov was made jointly with the Minister of Industry and Trade of Russia, Denis Valentinovich Manturov. We tested him in work and were not mistaken.

About growth points.

One of the traditionally strong industries in the region is pharmaceuticals. During the Great Patriotic War, many research institutes and pharmaceutical enterprises were evacuated from Leningrad to the Kirov Region. The foundations of the region's pharmaceutical industry were laid here, and today we are forming a full-fledged biopharmaceutical cluster in the region. We have large enterprises such as the company "AVVA RUS", which produces drugs known throughout the country, including antibiotics, and "NanoLEK", which produces "Pentaxim" – a vaccine for children against five diseases at once.

Recently, the Days of the Kirov Region were held in the Federation Council, where the companies "Rostec" and "NanoLEK" signed a strategic partnership agreement with the Kirov Region. From June 1, we will resume the construction of a blood plasma production enterprise.

We also have serious chemical production – the company "Uralchem" in the city of Kirovo-Chepetsk. The enterprise is a leader in the production of mineral fertilizers in the Russian Federation, and its products are supplied to many countries around the world. But its capabilities are far from exhausted.

About the revival of enterprises.

In Russia, less than 1% of enterprises that undergo bankruptcy proceedings emerge financially rehabilitated and continue to operate in their core business. We have several such examples. The machine-building plant "1 Maya", a unique enterprise that produces cranes for the railway, is now on the path to recovery. It is receiving orders, and more than 500 jobs have been restored.

The second enterprise is the production of chipboard for furniture products. For more than three years, it was in bankruptcy proceedings, and the workshops were silent. And just in March of this year, it was reopened! And what does that mean? It means 200 jobs, people bringing home a salary. And most importantly, they have gained confidence in the future, and the budget of the municipality has begun to fill up. This means we will be able to build roads, hospitals, and clinics.

About healthcare.

One of the acute issues is, of course, the quality of medical care. This includes emergency services, clinics... To avoid queues in clinics, a convenient system for booking appointments with doctors is necessary. Therefore, I have the doctor appointment system displayed on my office screen. I can see how busy the clinics are, which specialists are available.

The situation with emergency services was difficult – it was handed over to private business. And now we are returning it to state control because it is a basic medical service. And we should not experiment with people's health.

We managed to find funds to modernize healthcare institutions. We are currently doing cosmetic – for now – repairs to children's departments in hospitals. Without attracting additional federal funds, we opened a city perinatal center and hemodialysis departments in district centers. We opened the first department in the city of Sovetsk – more than 100 kilometers from Kirov... Previously, sick people had to come to Kirov three times a week and return back. Now they are free from that.

And on July 1, we are opening such a department in Vyatskiye Polyany. This is an even more remote area from Kirov, where people will receive help on site.

About the region's image.

I believe that the region has an undeserved reputation. After all, it is a region with a highly developed military-industrial complex. And confirmation of this, for example, is the meeting held by Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev – on the strategy for the development of the defense industry until 2030. It took place not somewhere else, but in Kirov.

We occupy one of the leading places in the Russian Federation, I emphasize, not in the Volga Federal District, but in the country – in milk production. We are in the top five. Every fifth liter of milk in Russia is produced in the Kirov Region. To my deep regret, few people know about this. And we have, in my opinion, many reasons and, if you will, things to be proud of. Including Vyatka kvass and the Dymkovo toy.

About roads.

The quality of roads is a problem not only in Kirov; it is a problem across a large territory. There is a huge road network, but funding sources are limited. Therefore, we are constantly forced to search for two things: conscientious contractors and additional sources of funding.

Of course, we work with Rosavtodor and the Ministry of Transport. The Federation Council, during the Days of the Kirov Region, adopted a resolution stating that it would be good to allocate additional funds to Kirov for three of our main projects: the overpass in the Chistye Prudy area, roads in the city of Kirov, and several items from the program for the preparation of the city's 650th anniversary. We need a bypass road around Kirov already today – the region borders nine federal subjects. We are the center of the Volga Federal District.

About Kirov.

There are many questions about the improvement of courtyards and adjacent territories. This year, 55 courtyards in the regional center will be completely reconstructed. What is important to a person? That when they leave their entrance, they see a good courtyard with parking, a playground, and lawns. When they leave the courtyard – a normal sidewalk, road, lighting. That in new neighborhoods, clinics, hospitals, kindergartens, schools – not only general education but also music schools – must be designed and built. We are dealing with these issues together with colleagues on the urban planning council. Look at what a city we have! Very beautiful, along the river – a merchant city. Architectural solutions for small forms are appropriate here. I think that in a couple of years, the appearance of Kirov will change. We set ourselves such a task – Kirov should become a metropolitan city.

The full version of the interview can be found on the KP website.