MOSCOW -- Medical equipment in itals and clinics is largely out of date, often 20 years old or more, and is capable of meeting barely one third of the country's requirements, the Russian Health Ministry admitted Tuesday.

Russia imports around 10 billion rubles (330 million dollars) worth of equipment per year, but this is not enough to meet the pressure of demand for treatment, the ministry said, as quoted by the Itar-Tass news agency.

Russian-made material often falls short of international standards because of its poor quality, AFP quoted the ministry as saying.

On Monday the government pledged to allocate more resources to the pharmaceuticals industry in Russia, which imports almost all its medical supplies.