A solemn meeting dedicated to honoring the region's healthcare workers was held in Vitebsk
Among the opened facilities are polyclinics in Vitebsk, Verkhnedvinsk, Novolukoml, Chashniki, Rossony, Ushachi, Senno, the Begoml and Bolbasovo district hospitals, an infectious diseases ward in Glubokoye, and dental departments in Braslav and Dokshitsy. This year, the modernization of the treatment ward of the Yurtsevo regional hospital for disabled veterans of the Great Patriotic War, the major overhaul of the rehabilitation department of Orsha City Hospital No. 3, and other facilities have been completed. In general, a quarter of the region's budget is spent on financing the healthcare system.
Nikolai Sherstnev noted that the pandemic had introduced adjustments to the work of institutions. From the very beginning, a set of preventive measures was implemented, the main goal of which was to protect people's lives and health. Everyone was involved in solving these problems. The entire region's healthcare system worked in a targeted and precise manner: doctors, specialists from sanitary and epidemiological services, ambulance crews, and junior medical staff. From the first days, the Vitebsk Regional Hospital, the Infectious Diseases Hospital, City Central Hospital and Hospital No. 1, the Emergency Hospital, and many others joined the front lines of the fight against the pandemic.
"The workload on healthcare professionals was high. Many were separated from their families and loved ones for weeks, working to the limit of human strength and capabilities. Scientists and the faculty of Vitebsk State Medical University made a significant contribution to the fight against the pandemic. Students worked shoulder to shoulder with their mentors. They received their baptism of fire and were tested for their loyalty to their future profession," the head of the region noted. He emphasized that during this time, people have rethought many things, learned to treat each other more carefully, and more fully realized the importance of the work of healthcare professionals.
During the event, the Head of the Anesthesiology and Resuscitation Department of the Vitebsk Regional Clinical Hospital, Alexander Goncharov, was awarded a Letter of Gratitude from the President of Belarus. According to him, the pandemic required doctors, especially infectious disease specialists and anesthesiologists-resuscitators, to mobilize all their psychological and physical resources. "Everyone knows that many hospitals in Vitebsk were repurposed for COVID-19 patients. First and foremost, the regional infectious disease hospital. My team voluntarily started working there from March 9 to save as many lives as possible. The same happened at the regional hospital: from April, the number of intensive care beds was increased, and additional oxygen supply points were equipped. Working in these non-standard conditions became a great school for the medical staff, they proved themselves to be highly professional in their field," emphasized Alexander Goncharov.