The Vitebsk region's oncology service celebrated its 70th anniversary
Today, the regional oncological dispensary has 12 clinical departments, an outpatient department for 300 visits per shift, and all necessary diagnostic services. A day hospital operates, where outpatient chemotherapy courses and rehabilitation are provided for fifty patients a day.
All types of surgical interventions for tumors of the stomach, intestines, and liver have been mastered and implemented in practice. Examination and treatment of patients with precancerous diseases, malignant and some benign neoplasms of almost all localizations are carried out. There is a decent material and technical treatment base and state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment.
However, despite all the created conditions and opportunities for work, it is still worth talking about the feat of the service workers, which continues to this day – in attempts to snatch human life from the strong grip of oncological diseases. And, unfortunately, oncologists have more and more patients every year: over the past twenty years, the incidence in the region has increased 2.7 times.
The heroism of the profession was also spoken about by **Chairman of the Regional Executive Committee Nikolai Sherstnev** during the awarding ceremony for the best oncologists of the Vitebsk region. Nikolai Nikolaevich assured the staff that the surgical building of the dispensary, which has become a long-term construction project, will be the number one facility among the healthcare institutions of the region next year.
– A solution has been found on how to finance the construction, so we will make every effort not only to erect the building but also to provide it with the necessary equipment so that it serves the residents of our region, and the oncology center becomes one of the best among regional ones, – said Nikolai Sherstnev.
The professionalism of the dispensary staff and its achievements were also noted by the Director of the N. Aleksandrov Republican Scientific and Practical Center for Oncology and Medical Radiology, **Chief Freelance Oncologist of the Ministry of Health Oleg Sukonko** during the republican scientific and practical conference. The conference brought together oncologists and surgeons from all over the country in the regional center to celebrate the anniversary of their Vitebsk colleagues. The medical professionals discussed current issues of diagnosis and treatment of liver and pancreatic tumors, as the number of such cancer cases has begun to grow rapidly. The forum participants also identified the main directions in which the domestic oncology service should develop.
– Early diagnosis of tumors and population screening are priorities for the oncology service for the next five years. The Ministry of Health has signed an order on organizing screening throughout the country, and groups have been created to work in this area. The outcome of the disease depends on early detection: minimally invasive surgery is used, and consequently, the financial costs are not as huge as those the state incurs for treating patients with stages 3-4, – emphasized Oleg Sukonko.
By the way, to organize screening for the early or even precancerous detection of oncological diseases, the healthcare system of the Vitebsk region is implementing the most advanced methods and approaches, and acquiring high-tech equipment. In this regard, our region can even serve as an example for others.
– Vitebsk region has the oldest population, so it is not by chance that oncological diseases in the region rank second after circulatory system diseases. Detecting the disease at stage 1, 2, and sometimes 3, gives the patient an opportunity for effective treatment. Therefore, screening programs implemented in the region and in the republic as a whole will increase the life expectancy of the population, – summed up Yuri Derkach, Head of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee Healthcare Department.