The surgical building of the Vitebsk Oncology Dispensary is planned to be opened after reconstruction in 2011

December 13, Vitebsk /Sergey Kochetov - BELTA/. The reconstruction of the surgical building of the Vitebsk Regional Clinical Oncology Center is planned to be completed by July 2011. This was announced today at a press conference by the chief physician of the oncology center, Anzhelika Tomchina, a BELTA correspondent reports. The total cost of the project is Br19 billion, of which about Br6.5 billion will be spent by the end of 2010. Financing is carried out from the local budget. Upon completion of the reconstruction, the building will house a 120-bed inpatient facility, an operating and resuscitation unit, a clinical diagnostic laboratory, an X-ray room, an ultrasound diagnostics room, and a 25-bed day hospital. In addition, the Department of Oncology of Vitebsk Medical University will be located in a separate wing of the building. The oncology center also plans to acquire a whole range of modern high-tech equipment under the State Comprehensive Program for the Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Oncological Diseases for 2010-2014. Thus, it is planned to purchase a high-class linear accelerator for equipping the radiology department, modernize the operating and resuscitation unit, and purchase a new therapeutic complex, endoscopic equipment, and a high-class ultrasound diagnostic apparatus. The modernization of the material and technical base of the center will significantly improve the quality of medical care, which will positively affect the life expectancy of cancer patients, the chief physician is confident. "The center's specialists have undergone training in leading clinics in Belarus and abroad, so they are fully prepared to implement modern surgical interventions and apply high-tech treatment methods; all that remains is to improve the center's material base," added Anzhelika Tomchina. In addition, the center intends to actively develop a psychological support service for patients and their relatives. Strong psychological support is necessary for the patient from the very first stage, when a psychologist should help them "come to terms" with the diagnosis, endure the initial stage, and subsequently learn to live with this diagnosis. In addition, it is very important for an oncology patient to feel needed in everyday life so that their social ties are not broken. The psychologist should help the patient's relatives navigate this aspect and develop a competent behavioral strategy, the chief physician added. -0-