Vitebsk Children's Regional Hospital will have ophthalmology and otorhinolaryngology departments

After reconstruction and modernization, a state-of-the-art operating unit with 6 operating rooms, equipped with the latest technology, has opened. Although less than a month has passed since the move, medical staff have already successfully performed about 70 surgeries here and have had time to appreciate all the advantages of working at a qualitatively new level.

– We have received a high-tech operating department that meets all global requirements, – says the hospital's chief physician Alexander Pitkevich. – Each operating room has a special system for supplying medical gases and air conditioning, so-called climate control. When performing operations on children, especially newborns, strict temperature and microbiological regimes are important.

Also, the latest medical equipment has been installed everywhere; some of it we purchased in advance, and some quite recently. This year, a state-of-the-art computed tomography scanner was purchased centrally with republican funds. By the way, our institution is the first among children's hospitals in Belarus to receive this equipment. The rest of the equipment was purchased with funds from the regional budget. Two operating rooms are equipped with modern laparoscopic systems, which allow operations to be performed not in an open manner, but through small incisions using optics and manipulators. Such technologies are less traumatic for the child and contribute to their faster recovery. Another recent acquisition is expert-class anesthesia and respiratory machines, which allow anesthesia to be administered to children of all ages and with any body weight, displaying all parameters of the patient's health status during the operation. This allows the anesthesiologist to make prompt decisions based on accurate indicators, which is a safe, modern approach to the treatment process.

– A significant acquisition has been made for the work of traumatologists, namely an X-ray machine with an image intensifier, – added the head of the operating department, Alexander Yanushkevich. – This unit is noteworthy because during surgery, an X-ray image can be taken quickly without leaving the operating room, and it is immediately displayed on the screen. Moreover, the apparatus allows for intraoperative medical manipulations and surgeries in fluoroscopy mode, which significantly speeds up and improves the quality of work.

All this, first and foremost, ensures patient safety and comfortable working conditions for the staff – summed up Alexander Pitkevich. He also reported that surgeons and traumatologists of the healthcare institution "Vitebsk Regional Clinical Hospital" perform more than 2.5 thousand operations annually, and in general, about 13 thousand patients from all over the region receive treatment in the hospital, including foreign citizens.

9 billion rubles from the regional budget were spent on the new operating block along with medical equipment. And these are more than justified investments, as they raise the pediatrics of the Vitebsk region to a qualitatively new level and, importantly, such transformations allow the hospital to significantly expand the range of medical services. For example, by the New Year, they will begin to treat and operate on children with diseases of the ENT organs, and six months later – with vision pathologies, as during this time the departments of pediatric otorhinolaryngology and ophthalmology of the regional hospital will be relocated to this institution. For the former, part of the equipment has already arrived, the rest will be delivered by the end of the year. An automated workstation for the ENT doctor, a laser surgery apparatus, and other equipment will appear here. However, what equipment to purchase for ophthalmologists and how much budget funds will be allocated for these purposes is still being clarified.

In turn, the presence of the specified departments in the hospital will allow for the expansion of the range and number of neurosurgical operations and the provision of assistance to children with severe combined trauma, which is a new area of work.

Another housewarming is coming soon at the institution. For the second year now, the reconstruction of the three-story therapeutic building of the hospital has been underway. The building had not been renovated for over 50 years, but now it is being updated in accordance with modern requirements and new sanitary standards. Spacious 2- and 4-bed wards, playrooms, dining rooms, an increased number of bathrooms, and much more will ensure a comfortable stay for young patients. It is precisely to these premises that the departments of neurology, gastroenterology, nephrology, and allergology are planned to be relocated. In addition, the departments of pediatrics of the medical university and medical college, study rooms, computer classes, and lecture halls will be located here. All this will relieve the burden on the currently operating three buildings, which house 13 medical departments with a total of 512 beds. The builders, with Vitebsk Rural Construction Combine acting as the general contractor, promise to hand over the renovated building by New Year.

The medical institution has many plans for the next year as well. For example, traumatologists intend to introduce interlocking – minimally invasive fracture surgery, which ensures rapid bone healing. The patient will be back on their feet much earlier, thereby eliminating the possibility of bedsores and pneumonia. And in this regard, according to Alexander Pitkevich, the Vitebsk Regional Children's Clinical Hospital will be the first in the country among similar pediatric institutions. Moreover, the hospital's technical base now allows for the implementation of this innovation; only some equipment needs to be purchased. Local specialists also intend to master arthroscopic surgery (minimally invasive joint surgery). Such treatment is practiced in the Vitebsk region, but only for adults; children are currently operated on only in the capital. Funds from the regional budget are expected to be allocated for the implementation of all planned initiatives.

As Alexander Eduardovich noted, the concept for the development of pediatrics in the Vitebsk region is currently focused on ensuring that children are treated in a multidisciplinary hospital. This way, parents and children will not have to travel from one medical institution to another to receive a full spectrum of medical care.

Natalia Ryzhkova, "Vitebskiye vesti"