Family medicine and international cooperation in the North: A step ahead

International cooperation contributed to the development of family medicine in the North of Russia, it was characterized by a system approach and interdisciplinary interaction. The article presents the results of Russian-Norwegian projects that were developed with the active participation of the Department of Family Medicine of NSMU (Arkhangelsk), as well as the main aspects of the projects: significance for practical health care, research, and educational components.

Several complementary projects aimed at the development of primary health care, such as “Reform of Arkhangelsk Region Health Care System with a special emphasis on primary care”, “System approach to NCD prevention” and “Suicide prevention in the Arkhangelsk region” were implemented together with the Norwegian Directorate of Health. “The POMOR Program – specialist training in general practice in Northern Russia” project (together with the University of Tromsø – The Arctic University of Norway, Norwegian Medical Association, and Norwegian Centre for Rural Medicine) facilitated the development of tutorship in family medicine in the Arkhangelsk and Murmansk regions. Better interaction between psychiatrists and general practitioners in the mental health sphere became an essential area of international collaboration (“Integrating mental health into primary care in the Arkhangelsk County, Russia: the Pomor model in psychiatry” project together with the University of Tromsø – The Arctic University of Norway and University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø). The education component of the projects got a sequel in the continued medical education system of NSMU while the scientific one was continued in the form of publications in international and Russian journals, and master’s thesis defense of public health degrees. The project's results were consistently presented at the international and Russian forums. General practitioner’s education is a cross-cutting theme for the cooperation on the path from a beginner to an expert and plays a special role in support of GPs during the COVID-19 pandemic.