MOSCOW, July 20 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's prime minister expressed concern over the health of Russian children at a Cabinet meeting Thursday.
Russia is facing a serious demographic crisis, and the United Nations has suggested that its 142 million population could decline by more than a third in 2050.
Following moves to boost the birth rates by offering financial incentives to parents, Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov focused on children's health, which he said was a cause for alarm.
"It is known that a mere 30% of [the country's] newborns can be called healthy," Fradkov said. "There are more than 500,000 disabled children in need of various rehabilitation treatment and 730,000 orphans and children left without parental care."
At the meeting, the Cabinet is expected to discuss measures to improve children's health in Russia.
