Medical infrastructure will be upgraded in 28 Arctic towns within the next year and a half or two years, and the number of ambulance helicopters will increase in six regions, says Healthcare Minister Veronika Skvortsova, as TASS news agency reports.

"A geo-information map helped us assess all the 876 towns and villages in the Arctic zone, and we saw that 28 towns demanded that their medical infrastructure be upgraded," she said at, The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue, international forum.

According to the minister, 113 Russian Arctic settlements have 1-100 residents and they may use mobile or satellite phones if they need to call for medical assistance.

"Starting this year, we will implement a special program for the development of medical aviation, and the number of ambulance helicopters will increase in six out of the eight Arctic regions within the year," Ms. Skvortsova said.

The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue international forum, established in 2010, is one of the principal venues for discussions on the problems and prospects of the Arctic region. Its aim is to pool international efforts so that the Arctic can be successfully  developed. The participants discuss improving living standards in the Arctic, development of transportation and environmental problems.