MOLODECHNO, 12 March (BelTA) – During his visit to the Molodechno Central District Hospital on 12 March Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko confirmed plans to promote inter-district medical centers, BelTA has learned.
The head of state asked about the arrangement of the health service delivery in the region, including in the context of development of inter-district medical centers. The president was told that the Molodechno Central District Hospital has more than 1,000 beds. The hospital is an umbrella organization for a number of healthcare facilities, including the Radoshkovichi Municipal Hospital, a maternity hospital, community hospitals, rural hospitals, and an outpatient polyclinic network. The Molodechno Central District Hospital serves a community of more than 136,200 people. An inter-district center to provide tertiary medical care for residents of Molodechno District, Vileika District, Volozhin District and Myadel District will soon be up and running.
Aleksandr Lukashenko recalled his instruction to build a clear-cut vertical structure of healthcare institutions, from rural hospitals to teaching hospitals, to make cutting-edge medical care available at the grassroots level whenever possible, and to develop inter-district centers in large towns like Molodechno.
“Eleven inter-district centers based in large towns like Molodechno, Borisov, Soligorsk, Bobruisk, Lida, Baranovichi...Regional hospitals should delegate some of their functions to inter-district centers. All people want to receive qualified medical care,” the president stressed.
The head of state also discussed health service delivery for patients with COVID-19. Aleksandr Lukashenko was informed that the Molodechno Central District Hospital re-purposed 335 beds to treat patients with infectious diseases, which is 32.5% of its bed capacity. Some 3,600 patients with COVID-19 were treated in hospital, 5,200 people received outpatient care. A CT scan, two ventilators, an anesthesia machine and other types of equipment were purchased to treat coronavirus patients.
Aleksandr Lukashenko said that it is necessary to retain departments that can be re-purposed to treat infectious diseases if necessary.
According to Head of the Molodechno Central Regional Hospital Daria Kolyadich, the clinic is using four out of 29 mechanical ventilators that the hospital has. “We have 27 intensive care beds, of which 15 are for COVID-19 patients,” she said.
According to her, an oxygen distribution station has been built and put into operation at the hospital. Currently, there are 217 infectious diseases beds in operation; 118 beds were returned to routine use. We have a month's stock of medicines to treat coronavirus patients, personal protective equipment, and reagents.
“So, you have learned to treat coronavirus not worse than other hospitals in the country,” the president assumed.
The head of state studied the way health services are delivered at the hospital and the clinic's infrastructure. He also visited the red zone, where patients with COVID-19 are treated.
