Vitebsk healthcare will receive priority development in 2010

December 10, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. Additional revenues of the Vitebsk region budget should be directed to the development of healthcare, Chairman of the Regional Executive Committee Alexander Kosinets proposed, as reported by a BELTA correspondent from a joint meeting of the presidium of the Vitebsk Regional Council of Deputies and the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee. According to Alexander Kosinets, healthcare facilities in rural areas have been put in order in recent years, operating and resuscitation units of district hospitals have been equipped with modern equipment, while in the regional center, medical institutions are in poor condition, and their material and technical base lags behind the requirements of the time. "The condition of healthcare facilities in Vitebsk is unsatisfactory; it does not correspond to the level of a city with a medical university," said the chairman of the regional executive committee. According to preliminary estimates, Vitebsk medical institutions need about Br200 billion for repairs and equipment purchase. The draft regional budget for healthcare provides for the allocation of Br567.4 billion, which is almost 8% more than in 2009. The share of the sector's expenses in the total volume of the regional budget expenditures will be 18.5%. Alexander Kosinets called the education sector no less significant. Next year, expenses for the maintenance and development of educational institutions are projected at Br819.1 billion and will increase by 7.3% compared to the 2009 level. The share of the sector's expenses in the volume of the regional budget will exceed 26%. -0-