An industrial medicine center will open at the Siberian State Medical University in Tomsk. The center will be created within the framework of the INO Tomsk project to train medics for hydrocarbon extraction ventures on the Arctic shelf, said Mikhail Sonkin, deputy governor of the Tomsk Region.

"Russia has actively embarked on the task of developing its northern territories, which calls for a reserve of properly educated specialists trained to work under extreme conditions. At present, there are no educational programs, qualified instructors or accredited centers of that kind in our country," Mr. Sonkin said, Interfax reported.

Unique robotic mannequins have already been purchased for first aid training at the future center.

"Two Russian centers — one at the Siberian State Medical University, the other at the Moscow First Medical University — have been included in a list compiled by the Society in Europe for Simulation Applied to Medicine (SESAM). The local climate and the region's experience in the extraction and processing of raw materials under harsh environmental conditions make setting up a medical training center for the Arctic here strategically justified. We regard it as a highly promising area," university rector Olga Kobyakova said.