Sechenov doctors to help Azerbaijan in fight against COVID-19

Russia’s best doctors share experience in treatment of the disease.

 On 12 July, a group of Russian doctors headed for Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, to assist the local medics in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. They were invited by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, which has a rich history of co-operation with Sechenov University. The delegation included:

Sergey Avdeev, Head of the Department of Pulmonology at Sechenov University, Chief Consulting Pulmonologist at Russia’s Ministry of Health;
Sergey Moiseev, Director of the Clinic of Rheumatology, Nephrology and Occupational Health at Sechenov University;
Andrey Yaroshetsky, Professor at the Department of Pulmonology, Sechenov University;
Natalya Tsareva, Associate Professor at the Department of Pulmonology.

In addition, 17 doctors from Moscow, Odintsovo, and Norilsk joined the team. All the clinicians have gained experience while working at coronavirus hospitals in Russia.

According to Azerbaijan’s State Agency on Mandatory Health Insurance, the country had 24,570 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 313 deaths, as of 8 July. The authorities ordered quarantine measures at the end of March, but recently, as the restrictions were eased, the epidemiological situation began to deteriorate again. The vast majority of the new cases are in Baku. Azerbaijan is recruiting all the sources to combat the pandemic, and the government has imposed strict quarantine in 15 major cities and regions until 20 July.

At the same time, Russia reports many more coronavirus disease cases, but the mortality rate in the country remains one of the lowest in the world, due to the efficient work of the healthcare system. Sechenov University has been making a significant contribution to the fight against COVID-19, offering 2,000 beds in its clinics and having already admitted nearly 6,000 patients during the pandemic. Sechenov University is also the main site of the clinical trial of Russia’s most promising vaccine developed by Gamaleya Institute.

The help offered by Sechenov doctors to Azerbaijani medics is in line with the long-standing partnership that exists between Russia and Azerbaijan. A branch of Sechenov University was opened in Baku in 2015, aiming to promote co-operation between the medical communities of the two countries and to provide the highest-quality education.