The surgical service of Belarus uses the best achievements of world and domestic science - V. Zharko

November 11, Vitebsk / Sergey Kochetov - BELTA /. The surgical service of Belarus uses the best achievements of world and domestic science and medicine. This was stated today by the Minister of Health Vasily Zharko, speaking at the 14th Congress of Surgeons of Belarus, which is being held in Vitebsk, according to a BELTA correspondent. Thanks to stable state funding and the systematic development of the surgical service, Belarus has achieved significant success in improving the quality and accessibility of surgical care for the population, he emphasized. The creation of republican scientific and practical centers has made it possible to introduce the most advanced methods of examination and treatment in such areas as neurosurgery, oncology, ophthalmology, transplantology, etc. Over the past five years, the number of surgeons has increased by almost a quarter, reaching about 7,000 specialists in 2009. In 2009, more than 700,000 surgical interventions were performed in inpatient settings, which is 100,000 more than in 2000. At the same time, the number of high-tech and complex interventions is growing, primarily in the fields of cardiac surgery, transplantology, and ophthalmology. Cardiac surgery departments operate in all regions, and the number of operated patients with severe initial conditions and severe concomitant pathology is increasing. In January-September of the current year, more than 8,000 cardiac surgery interventions were performed, while for the whole of 2009 - about 6.4 thousand. Organ transplantation has been actively developing in recent years. Since 2008, 34 liver transplantations have been performed in Belarus. In 2009, a pancreas transplantation combined with a kidney was performed for the first time, and the first heart transplantation was carried out. In total, 28 heart transplantations have been performed during this period, including 17 in the 9 months of 2010, the Minister of Health noted. For 2009 and January-September of the current year, 187 kidney transplantations were performed. Endovascular intervention methods for pathologies of the brain and spinal cord vessels, as well as other technologies, have been introduced into the practical activities of the neurosurgical service. In the current year, Belarusian neurosurgeons have performed 2.8 thousand high-tech and complex surgical interventions. According to Vasily Zharko, among the promising tasks of the surgical service are improving postgraduate training of doctors, including using opportunities for professional development on the job. Close attention will also be paid to the further implementation of complex and high-tech methods of diagnosis and treatment, and the development of outpatient surgery. -0-