In his Address to the Federal Assembly, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted the contribution of medical school graduates, residents and students to the fight against the new coronavirus pandemic. “During the epidemic, many doctors and nurses who just yesterday received diplomas, residents and medical students boldly went to the so-called red zones, stood next to their senior colleagues. In an extraordinary situation, teachers, schoolchildren, college and university students taught and studied, took and passed exams, and the children supported their parents and older relatives. The youth of Russia in the period of trials showed themselves in the highest degree worthy. We can be proud of them. We will do everything to open up as many opportunities in life as possible for the young generation of Russia,” the Head of State said in the Message.

As the acting rector of the Dagestan State Medical University Suleiman Mammaev notes, students and residents of the university have been working side by side with doctors of practical health care of the republic since the first days of the pandemic. “More than 500 students and 112 residents worked in the “red” and “green” zones of hospitals, call centers of the Dagestan Center for Disaster Medicine, the Ministry of Health, and Rospotrebnadzor. A large number of DSMU volunteers took part in the implementation of the project “We are Together”, where they provided consulting assistance to the population. Moreover, even today, DSMU students work as operators on the hotline for new coronavirus infection. Our students and residents in hospitals were involved in the most critical areas, including in the intensive care unit, performing complex procedures.

The university’s authority provides them with all possible support. So, those who continued to work in the “red” zone after the beginning of the school year at the request of the chief physicians, were engaged in an individual educational program, including using remote technologies.

We initiated the creation of a student support fund in the amount of 20 million rubles. The funds were distributed among those students and residents who participated in the fight against the spread of the new coronavirus infection. We are proud of each of our students and residents who did not stand aside during this difficult time. I am sure that they will become excellent doctors and specialists in their field, ” S. Mammaev said.

Vladimir Putin also called on Russians to get vaccinated against COVID-19. “This is really the most effective measure to stop the spread of infection, to develop collective immunity. We even jointly with the Ministry of Health of Dagestan opened an additional vaccination point in the building of the administrative building of our university. And it was the right step, our employees and employees of nearby organizations vaccinated at this point. The Head of State noted that our country has three reliable vaccines against coronavirus. All of them are safe and highly effective, have virtually no side effects, and provide a good immune response. The faster we form a collective immunity, the faster we will return to the usual way of life,” Suleiman Mammayev concluded.