Mersin Province (Türkiye) Regional Healthcare Department representatives visited the region to adopt the best practices of Russian healthcare system at industrial facilities.
31 May 2024, Novovoronezh, Voronezh region, Russia. A delegation of state healthcare organization of Mersin Province of the Republic of Türkiye and specialists of AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC visited Novovoronezh, a satellite city of the Novovoronezh NPP, to get acquainted with the accumulated experience in the field of cooperation between Russian healthcare agencies and nuclear industries.
Structure of the Russian state health care system, as well as the functions of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency of Russia were told in detail to the foreign guests at the first meeting of the visit. The participants discussed all levels of medical care in regular and emergency situations, the interaction of services and departments, the role of central offices in rapid response, and the practice of full-scale emergency response exercises. Russian specialists shared their knowledge on monitoring and maintaining the health of Novovoronezh NPP employees, including positive practices implemented at the enterprise and in the satellite city: the construction of urban sports facilities, encouraging employees and citizens to sport activities.
The guests from Türkiye got acquainted with the structure and features of the Novovoronezh NPP health center, as well as the multifunctional health care centre Energetik for NPP employees.
"A new high-tech industry is being formed in Türkiye, which is closely connected with other sectors of the economy – industrial production, education, and healthcare. The construction of a modern NPP significantly increases quality standards in all these areas. We have arranged close cooperation with government agencies in the Akkuyu NPP construction region, which, of course, strive to learn from the rich experience accumulated by their colleagues in the Russian regions where nuclear industry facilities are operating. The best way to study the experience is to get acquainted with the arrangement of processes on site, therefore, AKKUYU NUCLEAR provides maximum assistance in organizing such visits," said AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC Chief Executive Officer Anastasia Zoteeva.
"Our Turkish colleagues are interested in making the Akkuyu NPP completely safe. We showed them a set of measures to solve this problem. Especially it was dedicated to the company's impact on the environment and human health. They appreciated the readiness and professionalism of the emergency units of the nuclear power plant and the medical service in working out actions in emergency situations," noted Chief Physician of the Clinical Hospital No. 33 of the Federal Medical-Biological Agency of Russia Gennady Roldugin.
Also, representatives of the regional department of the Ministry of Health of Türkiye in Mersin province got acquainted with the work of the nuclear power plant, visited the turbine hall of Power Unit No.6 and the block control center, visited a full-scale simulator at the Novovoronezh NPP training center.
"Our visit is aimed at seeing the process of providing medical services in Russia at a nuclear power plant and beyond. We have received first-hand information on the way to respond in crisis and emergency situations at nuclear facilities, and how to provide first aid in such conditions. Türkiye is able to contribute to the development of medical services provided at nuclear power plants, so the visit has been extremely useful for us. We also found out the huge attention of Rosatom State Corporation pays to social policy and support for employees and their families," said Emrah Ceviz, Director of the Department of Health of Mersin Province (Türkiye).
For reference:
Akkuyu NPP is the first nuclear power plant being built in the Republic of Türkiye. The Akkuyu NPP project includes four power units equipped with Generation 3+ VVER reactors of Russian design. The capacity of each power unit will be 1200 MW. Akkuyu NPP is the first project in the global nuclear industry being implemented according to the Build-Own-Operate model.
The Federal Medical and Biological Agency (FMBA of Russia) provides medical and sanitary services to employees of especially dangerous working conditions in certain sectors of the economy. The FMBA of Russia protects the health of employees of more than 700 organizations, including those involved in Rosatom State Corporation. Agencies have a joint program aimed at improving the quality and accessibility of medical care in the cities with operating nuclear industry.
Novovoronezh NPP named after V.A. Sidorenko (a branch of Rosenergoatom Concern JSC, part of Rosatom Electric Power Division) is the first nuclear power plant with water-water power reactors (VVER). It turns 60 years on September 30, 2024. During this time, seven VVER power units were built and commissioned at the Novovoronezh site, two of them with VVER-1200 type reactors are reference for Akkuyu NPP power units. 60 years of experience in the operation of Novovoronezh NPP has confirmed the safety and reliability of the technology.