Heads of Military Medical Services of CSTO Member States Discussed Medical Support

Heads of the military medical services of the member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) discussed ways to improve medical support for the CSTO troops (Collective Forces).

On 12–13 August, as part of Russia’s CSTO chairmanship, an international scientific and practical conference and a working meeting of representatives of the medical services of the defence ministries of the CSTO member states were held in Moscow at the A.A. Vishnevsky National Medical Research Centre for Surgery of the Russian Ministry of Defence and a branch of the S.M. Kirov Military Medical Academy.

The events were attended by Alexander Malyukh, Head of the Military Medical Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Belarus, who delivered a report.

Andrei Serdyukov, Chief of the CSTO Joint Staff, noted that modern armed conflicts, characterised by the extensive use of precision weapons, an increase in medical casualties and a growing proportion of severely wounded service personnel, necessitate further consideration of issues related to the organisation of medical support.

“Experience gained from joint exercises confirms the importance of close cooperation between the armed forces, other troops and military formations and the civilian healthcare sector, the training of medical personnel, as well as the further development of military medical cooperation”.

Andrei Serdyukov recalled that the Russian Federation, which holds the CSTO chairmanship in 2026, had identified expanding cooperation in the field of military medicine and protection against biological threats as one of its key priorities.

The heads of the medical services discussed the development of the CSTO joint radiation, chemical and biological protection and medical support formation; prospects for the exchange of experience among tactical medicine specialists; preparations for a working meeting on current issues concerning medical support for CSTO troops (Collective Forces) in armed conflicts; and ways to improve cooperation on medical support.