Foreigners come to Vitebsk neurosurgeons for operations

Vitebsk neurosurgeons receive patients for surgery from near and far abroad.

About 2,000 operations, 5,000-7,000 consultations, and about 200 emergency trips to districts under the emergency medicine center – this is the demanding schedule of the only neurosurgical department in the region at the Vitebsk Regional Clinical Hospital, headed for the past seven years by Yevgeny Semenov, a neurosurgeon renowned both in Belarus and abroad.

“Yes, we often provide assistance to foreigners,” notes Yevgeny Valeryevich. “Why do they turn to us? Firstly, our prices are quite affordable. Secondly, the quality of our work is in no way inferior to that of Russian clinics. And thirdly, the so-called 'word-of-mouth' plays a big role: one patient is successfully operated on, goes home satisfied, and tomorrow their relatives, friends, and acquaintances are already calling…”

Despite the fact that the atmosphere in this department, rightfully considered one of the most "difficult," cannot be called optimistic due to the large number of bedridden patients, the flow of Russians wishing to undergo treatment here is growing year by year. After all, the most important thing is not so much the domestic comfort, a refrigerator, or a TV in the ward, but the professionalism of the doctors, the competence of the nurses, and the sincere care of the orderlies.

In addition, Dr. Semenov's patients can consider him their "home" doctor even when abroad. Every patient leaves the department with his contact information and can ask for advice or receive an online consultation via email at any time. The doctor is interested in ensuring that the patient's recovery and subsequent long-term rehabilitation are successful and that they are protected from mistakes. After all, surgery on the brain or spinal cord, as medics believe, is a significant but only half of the task. Everything else depends on the patient themselves.

Today, residents of the Smolensk and Pskov regions, as well as border regions of the Baltic states, have established a constant "path" to the neurosurgeons of the Vitebsk region. There are also patients from Georgia and distant foreign countries undergoing treatment under insurance policies. This is understandable. But, you must agree, to choose Vitebsk over, say, a Moscow clinic, requires very weighty arguments…

— The other day, we operated on a resident of the Russian capital with a herniated intervertebral disc. Yes, before coming to us, the person studied all possible options for solving the problem. In Moscow, an operation performed using the same technique as ours would have cost him almost 3 times more. Here, he paid about 45 thousand Russian rubles and was very satisfied. True, he was surprised that "human" attitude towards patients has been preserved in Belarusian hospitals: orderlies, he said, come up, nurses take care of them…

In recent years, Vitebsk neurosurgeons have made a real breakthrough not only in the quality of medical care but also in expanding the range of surgical interventions. More than a dozen doctors working in the department, including Associate Professor of the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery of VGMU Konstantin Kubrakov, who recently received the Grand Prix for an innovative report at an international conference, constantly improve their qualifications, participate in various scientific and practical symposiums, and successfully master new techniques. Their experience is highly valued by colleagues from other countries.

Recently, a former patient, from whom a brain tumor was removed in Vitebsk, returned from Israel with gratitude. As it turned out, while visiting relatives, he consulted with local luminaries. Israeli colleagues were pleasantly surprised by the high level of work of Belarusian doctors and did not hesitate to state: it is simply impossible to do this job better.

Currently, complex surgical interventions on the brain (including those with deep localization), spine, and peripheral nerves are performed on a regular basis in the department. Nerve reconstruction, cranial defect plasty, and shunting systems for hydrocephalus are also carried out. Sometimes operations last for 6-8 hours, which requires incredible strength and willpower from the surgeon. In neurosurgery, operating teams do not change until the operation is completed. Furthermore, one has to work with very miniature, fragile, and sensitive parts of the human body, often invisible to the naked eye.

— The main task is to help the patient and not harm them, — says Evgeny Valeryevich, defining his duty. — But I have never regretted, and I am sure I will not regret, that I once exchanged general surgery for neurosurgery. It's just that here you always feel like you are "on the front line," and therefore every victory is much more valuable. Moreover, the field for improvement in this relatively "young" specialization is simply enormous.

Belarusian medicine has made a giant leap in technical equipment. We have unique equipment and apparatus in our arsenal. Today, we operate not only on brain "centers" but also on uncomplicated spinal and head injuries. We install special sensors for monitoring intracranial pressure, were among the first in the regions to master spinal surgeries using various metal-stabilizing structures, interventions for removing herniated discs in the cervical spine, and we are experimenting in the field of endoscopic neurosurgery. In a word, every day brings something new and promising, giving even more chances for the patient's return to a full life.

Yevgeny Semenov notes with satisfaction: a doctor experiences a special feeling when they manage to help a patient who was considered "hopeless" just yesterday. For example, a young man was recently brought from Senno in a comatose state. Rapidly developing hydrocephalus led to brain swelling. Thanks to the implantation of special shunts, his condition was stabilized. A couple of weeks later, he was discharged home in satisfactory condition. Yet, just a few years ago, this patient would have been doomed – with such a clinical picture, he would have had a maximum of two days to live…

It is for such cases, as Vitebsk neurosurgeons believe, that it is worth living, working, and comprehending the secrets of the human body.