Annually, 2.4 thousand people undergo rehabilitation at the center for internationalist soldiers in Vitebsk
On average, 2.4 thousand people per year undergo treatment and rehabilitation at the Vitebsk Regional Center for Medical Rehabilitation for Disabled Persons, with approximately 65-70% of the total number of patients being internationalist soldiers, the chief physician of the institution, Igor Mishchuk, told a BELTA correspondent.
Since the center's establishment in 1994, 51.6 thousand people have been its patients, including 33 thousand internationalist soldiers. Family members (mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, widows and widowers who have not remarried), and representatives of law enforcement agencies are also served here. Paid services are provided, especially actively since 2006. Most foreign nationals seeking services at the center are citizens of Russia. Residents of Lithuania, Latvia, Ukraine, Germany, Spain, Italy, and the USA have also visited, coming to Vitebsk to visit relatives and friends. However, as Igor Mishchuk emphasized, the focus remains primarily on internationalist soldiers.
"The institution was established over 20 years ago as the Republican Center for Medical Rehabilitation for Disabled Persons and Veterans of Combat Operations in Other States. Since December 2013, it has been under regional ownership. Nevertheless, residents from all regions of Belarus continue to be sent here for treatment and rehabilitation in accordance with agreements concluded with each region. Moreover, over the past five years, we have seen an increasing number of internationalist soldiers with disabilities and rural residents coming to us. Many patients have developed comorbidities over the years due to combat stress and trauma experienced, psychosomatic disorders such as arterial hypertension and heart rhythm disturbances. Since most of them were from mobile forces or airborne troops, frequent cases of musculoskeletal disorders and spinal problems should also be considered," said Igor Mishchuk.
The average rehabilitation course at the center lasts 13 days. The institution's structure includes two treatment departments; Medical Rehabilitation Department No. 1 (therapeutic profile) and Medical Rehabilitation Department No. 2 (neurological profile), each with 50 beds, a functional diagnostics department, a physical therapy department, an acupuncture room, an exercise therapy room, a clinical laboratory, and a psychotherapy room. In the evenings, artistic groups from the city perform at the center. Many patients prefer to explore Vitebsk (especially those who are visiting for the first time) and interact with each other. It is the common interests and memories of patients that distinguish this center from other health resorts.
Ekaterina Knyazeva