Smolensk residents will undergo centralized rehabilitation in healthcare facilities of the Vitebsk region

Bridges of friendship and partnership between medical professionals of the Vitebsk and Smolensk regions have been established for a long time. At one time, contacts between trade union industry committees became the first points of contact. But now, as part of the action plan for interregional cooperation, new joint projects have been outlined concerning the direct provision of medical care to the population of both territories.

– An agreement on cooperation was concluded with the Healthcare Committee of the Smolensk Region, which provides for on-the-job training for our specialists and theirs, and the possible volume of medical care provided in the Vitebsk region for residents of the Russian region, – says Yuri Derkach, Head of the Healthcare Department of the Regional Executive Committee. – The first thing that interested our Smolensk colleagues during their visit to us was the oncology service, the possibility of diagnosing and treating Russian patients at the Vitebsk Regional Clinical Oncology Center. To date, this institution is equipped with the most modern equipment, thanks to which diagnostics and treatment of diseases, especially clinical groups I and II, are carried out at a high level, and even minimal cell clusters are detected. This allows us to provide high-quality medical care to the local population and foreign citizens, including Russians. In this regard, due to the high workload of the dispensary, we plan to purchase another linear accelerator using extra-budgetary funds.

In addition, the oncology service of the Smolensk Region is currently being re-equipped, but there are currently no personnel who can work with new equipment and master the technologies. In turn, our specialists have considerable experience in mastering modern methods and can carry out treatment planning and adjustment. Russian partners are also maximally interested in their employees undergoing on-the-job training at the Vitebsk Regional Oncology Center.

By the way, professional development for doctors, as Yuri Nikolaevich noted, is another aspect of interregional contacts. One of the projects will be the certification of our specialists for providing medical care in the Smolensk region. Moreover, doctors from the region will undergo certification in Vitebsk, confirming their right to practice medicine in Russian medical institutions. As a result, they will be able to conduct medical examinations in healthcare facilities in the Smolensk region in their free time. Pediatricians, general practitioners, obstetrician-gynecologists, and some specialists are currently in high demand among our neighbors. Thus, this will increase the export of healthcare services in the region and provide an opportunity for additional earnings for the industry's workers.

Active interaction between the regions is also planned in the field of rehabilitation. In particular, an agreement has been reached to send patients who have completed a course of treatment at the Federal Center for Traumatology, Orthopedics, and Arthroplasty, located in Smolensk and performing a significant volume of surgeries – about 5,000 per year – for rehabilitation in the Vitebsk region. More than 70 people operated on at this center have already been sent for rehabilitation to healthcare facilities in the region, and it is planned to increase their number in the future.

The implementation of joint projects will allow Vitebsk region to fulfill the plan for exporting medical services for the current year, amounting to 8 million dollars. The income received will become an additional resource for the development of the region's healthcare, the acquisition of high-tech equipment for implementing modern diagnostic and treatment methods, and in turn, to ensure high-quality and accessible medical care for the residents of Pridvinye.

Natalia Ryzhkova, "Vitebskiye Vesti"