Putin met with the President of the Donetsk Republic at the Kremlin on Monday. At the beginning of the meeting, Putin outlined the discussion topics, noting that water supply, housing restoration, and healthcare development in the region are among the most pressing issues. Putin highlighted “some of the issues I consider most urgent, including water supply, housing restoration, and construction work at several sites, including infrastructure.” He added, “The social sphere is primarily healthcare. I know you have proposals for building new medical institutions there. As I understand it, we discussed it with you on the phone beforehand, and all this aligns with your plan for our conversation today.” According to him, the authorities are working to increase water flow by cleaning river channels. He confirmed that last year, a headquarters for heating and water supply was established, which ensured the heating season passed without serious incidents.
Pushilin explained that more than 2,189 residential buildings and over 250 social facilities were damaged in four areas of Donetsk, previously considered frontlines, and restoration work will begin in 2025. He said, “You recently opened a cardiovascular center in Donetsk (Kalinin Republican Clinical Hospital), which continues to develop. Additionally, we are now accelerating as much as possible in building another similar center in Makeevka. Statistics indicate rising rates of heart attacks and strokes, and addressing them is a priority to reduce these rates. Vascular centers will certainly contribute to achieving this and distributing services. It should be noted that the Donetsk-Makeevka urban area is very large, and there is a lot of work required in it.”
Pushilin continued, “More than 30,000 patients have been examined and cared for, and we will continue working until the shortage issue is resolved. We are training staff — our medical university graduates excellent competencies.”
