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Annual Address to the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.Part 4 May 16, 2003 Marble Hall, the Kremlin, Moscow Послание Федеральному Собранию Российской Федерации 16 мая 2003 года Москва, Кремль, Мраморный зал One of the most serious threats we identified was the decrease in the Russian population due above all to a falling birth rate and rising mortality rate. The mortality rate has continued to rise over recent years. It has increased by 10 percent over the last three years. Life expectancy, meanwhile, has continued to fall. Statistics paint the unhappy truth, showing us that life expectancy fell from 67 years in 1999 to 64 years in 2002. The reasons for this low life expectancy include high levels of illness and deaths from accidents, poisoning and injuries. The spread of new epidemics including drug addiction and AIDS is only making the situation worse.On the positive side, the birth rate rose by 18 percent over the last three years, while infant mortality decreased by 21 percent and is now lower than at any other time in our history.At a recent meeting of the State Council we examined a whole range of issues related to speeding up the move to a system of medical insurance-based healthcare. I think this will considerably improve the financial situation in our healthcare system. During the second half of the year we will work through the organisational questions in 16 regions in the country, and from next year we will introduce medical insurance for pensioners …