Vitebsk medical institutions plan to switch to electronic prescriptions

This was reported during the final meeting of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee's Healthcare Department with the participation of the Deputy Minister of Health of Belarus Vyacheslav Shilo, where the results of the industry's work for 2014 and prospects for 2015 were discussed.

The implementation of electronic prescriptions became possible with the creation of a unified information base. According to the head of the regional executive committee's healthcare department, Yuri Derkach, Vitebsk medics made a similar proposal to the Ministry of Health a year ago. Now, the healthcare department, together with the Vitebsk RUP "Farmatsiya" , is working on this project, and possibly, already this year, electronic prescriptions will be issued first to patients in the clinics of the regional center, and after some time, in the regions as well.

Another promising area for the development of the region's healthcare, which is already yielding results, allows for saving budget funds and, accordingly, allocating additional amounts for the industry's development, is voluntary medical insurance. In cooperation with Belgosstrakh, reimbursement under these agreements has begun.

A significant role in reducing the burden on the budget is played by the reduction in the volume of inpatient care. For these purposes, it is planned to create outpatient centers for specialized care in the Vitebsk region.

As for construction projects for the current year, Yuri Derkach reported that in the coming months, the therapeutic building of the regional children's center, the surgical building of the oncology dispensary will be commissioned, and the renovation of the regional infectious diseases hospital will be completed. The main construction projects for this year are the therapeutic building of the Semashko City Hospital in Orsha, the Miory Central Regional Hospital, a multidisciplinary polyclinic in the Yug-7A microdistrict, and the construction of a polyclinic center in Bilevo-2 will also begin.

Overall, assessing the work of the healthcare system in the Vitebsk region, Deputy Minister Vyacheslav Shilo noted that most of the indicators have been met by the region or show a positive trend. He also reminded that in 2015, medical professionals will have to work hard, as it is the final stage in the implementation of the National Program for Demographic Security for 2011-2015.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Minister noted that not all districts work equally cohesively in meeting the indicators, therefore a detailed monitoring will be carried out, including on such points as the level of general and infant mortality, citizens' appeals, and the interaction between local executive authorities and healthcare. He also emphasized the implementation of Decree No. 18. The rational spending of budget funds, particularly on the purchase and operation of modern equipment, will be no less relevant this year. For this purpose, the Ministry of Health will conduct quarterly monitoring of the use of purchased medical equipment – this mainly concerns ultrasound machines, X-ray and other expensive equipment. If it is not used for six months or more due to the absence of a specialist or for other reasons, it will be transferred to other medical institutions. It is important to maintain the continuity of FAPs, outpatient clinics, central district hospitals, inter-district centers, and institutions of regional and republican subordination while improving the quality and accessibility of medical care in the periphery. At the same time, there should be no artificial restraint of patient flows, the official is convinced: if there is a need to send a patient to the regional or republican level, it should be done, rather than trying to solve the problem locally.

Natalia Ryzhkova, "Vitebskiye Vesti"