Personalia and the current health crisis.

Recent changes in the Russian government introduced by Boris Yeltsin include the appointment of Eduard Nechaev as health minister at the beginning of this year. The appointment received little publicity in the West, although his predecessor was sacked after only one year for failing to make any effort to improve health care. The challenges facing the new minister are enormous. Not only does he have to introduce a new medical insurance system but he has to tackle the problems of falling population, rising childhood illness linked to poor diet, and the spread of polio and diphtheria. It remains to be seen whether his experience in the military medical service has equipped him for the job.