By the end of April, a new neonatal complex is planned to be put into operation in Irkutsk, where infants weighing from 500 grams will be cared for and early detection of congenital and hereditary diseases will be carried out. Although the building is nearly ready, funds are still needed for furniture, equipment, and part of the finishing work. Authorities stress that this is a unique complex for the country, which should operate to the best European standards.

It is planned that by the end of April, a new neonatal complex can be put into operation in Irkutsk.
As the chief physician of the perinatal center, Natalia Protopopova, said, infants with critically low body weight, starting from 500 grams, will be cared for here, and work will also be carried out to prevent and detect congenital and hereditary fetal pathology, as well as to rehabilitate infants with an unfavorable health prognosis.
The building of the neonatal unit is practically ready for handover, but there has been a difficulty in financing the additional outfitting. Funds are needed to purchase furniture and technological equipment. A number of repair and construction works remain unfinished.
Natalia Protopopova noted that, based on the results of the mobile teams’ work across the region over the course of the year, it became clear that effective qualified care can only be provided in large centers. Therefore, project and cost documentation was prepared for the neonatal unit and the reconstruction of the outpatient unit. In addition, Irkutsk Oblast is participating in the national project for the development of perinatal centers on a co-financing basis: construction is being carried out with funds from the regional budget, while equipment is being purchased with federal funds.
"This is an amazing complex, with no analogues in the country and operating according to the best European standards," said Sergei Sokol, First Deputy Chairman of the Government of Irkutsk Oblast, during a visit to the center. "It is necessary to commission this facility as soon as possible; all the equipment has been purchased, and although we are now conducting an audit, including a financial one, I will definitely instruct that the documents for allocating funds be prepared."