Russian baby-boom
In the course of the first nine months of the year, a total of 1,2 million children were born in Russia. That is the highest number in 16 years.
The 2008 figure is 100,000 higher than the figure from the same period in 2007, Rossiiskaya Gazeta reports. As many as half of the children were born in families, which already have children. Several Russian experts say that the increasing state support for families with children has been instrumental in the development. -It is obvious that without support from the state, this would not have been possible, a social and health ministry official said in a recent briefing on the issue. Also death rates among newborn are on the decrease in the country. According to figures from statistical service Rosstat, death rates now amount to 9,4 per thousand births, down from 13,4 per thousand five years ago. Experts say that the increasing federal investments in healthcare is vital for the continued positive development. In 2008, the government will allocate a total of 4,1 billion RUB to the federal programme “national health project”. In 2010, the sum will be increased to 5,7 billion RUB. Since the programme was initiated, a total of 78 billion RUB has been invested in the priority projects, Rossiiskaya Gazeta writes.
