MINSK, 2 November (BelTA) – Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko presented state awards to school student Roman Kogodovsky and the healthcare workers who saved him. The award ceremony took place in the Palace of Independence on 2 November, BelTA has learned.
The participants in the ceremony were invited to a tour of the Palace of Independence. Roman was accompanied by his mother who had spent more than 100 days in the hospital taking care of him.
“Well, Roman, you are already standing upright. I welcome you. Well done! Look, now everything depends on you. Thank you, you have done a great job,” the Belarusian leader said addressing the attendees after they studied the interior design of the Palace of Independence.
Aleksandr Lukashenko presented state awards to the attendees. “I will use this opportunity to accomplish my mission. Roman, you are our hero! Listen, this order [the Order for Personal Gallantry] is very rarely given to adults. Only a few such orders have ever been awarded and they were received by really strong men. You are our strongest hero! Therefore, I will give you this order. When you grow up, you will understand what kind of order it is,” the head of state said presenting the award.
Aleksandr Lukashenko also spoke highly of the doctors, all the healthcare professionals who treated Roman. The healthcare minister followed the progress in the treatment and updated the head of state about it almost every day. “This person [Dmitry Pinevich] - the minister - he was on this journey with you and the doctors. He provided regular updates, in the morning and in the evening, how the treatment proceeded. As far as I understand, he also visited you even when you did not see or hear anything at all. Your mother knows it,” the head of state said.
“These people did everything to save you, they accomplished a feat. And you know, we will be proud of you and them. Because when the situation was critical, the minister called both the West and the East for consultations. When they realized how bad your condition was, they refused to help. And then I told him: if our doctors can do something, they should do it. And they also accomplished a feat. Therefore, we also reward them for their great skill. You have done a great job. Now we can surely tell any doctors in the world that we can do everything. Thank you again,” the head of state said.
After the award ceremony Aleksandr Lukashenko gave Roman Kogodovsky a tour of his office.
“It is very beautiful here,” the boy told reporters.
Roman admitted that at first he felt nervous about the meeting with the president, but the head of state turned out to be absolutely approachable. “My heart was beating so much that I thought it would jump out,” the boy said.
He hardly remembers the day of the tragedy (on 29 April, Roma took his two-year-old brother out of the burning house), only the moment when the ambulance picked him up. The boy spent several months in intensive care, and he remembers the first conversation with his mother after regaining consciousness. Back then he could only whisper.
Another flashback is from August when Roman was transferred to the Pediatric Burn Department. He suddenly wished for a watermelon. Back then he could already eat this treat.
“I want to say thank you to all the doctors. If not for them, I would not have been here,” he said.
Now Roman feels fine. He is ready to resume his studies in November. Of course, rehabilitation is still underway, so he plans to study online.
“Everyone was looking forward to seeing him at home and finally that moment came. Safe and sound, and nothing else matters,” Maria Stadolnik, the boy's mother, said.
Burn surgeon (chief) of the Pediatric Burn Department Igor Zelenko was one of the doctors involved in the treatment of Roman Kogodovsky.
“I am very glad that my work and the work of the team of the Pediatric Burn Department, the staff of Minsk Emergency Hospital, our colleagues from other healthcare facilities who took part in the treatment of Roman received such a high assessment,” the doctor said.
According to him, the situation was very complicated and the case was by no means ordinary. It required extensive experience and knowledge, as well as the latest treatment solutions. “This and Roman's great desire to recover were key to success,” Igor Zelenko said.
Roman had more than 20 surgeries, his condition was critical, the medical staff remained on the alert until he was discharged from hospital, but the doctors did their best to save the boy. “No one ever lost heart: neither the medical staff, nor Roman, nor his mother. We all believed and knew that everything would end up well,” the department head said.
Igor Zelenko added that such cases are rare, but they do happen. Belarusian doctors are capable of saving such patients. Therefore, the doctor was surprised to hear proposals to send Roman for treatment to Russia.
“We are no way inferior to anyone. Knowing our capabilities, I was surprised to hear proposals to send him somewhere. Frankly speaking, at the moment we are really equipped with everything we need. And the qualifications of our staff allow us to handle such difficult cases,” the doctor noted.
A reminder, Roman Kogodovsky had pulled out his two-year-old brother Ivan from the fire and immediately lost consciousness. In addition to the burns, he got cuts on his face and arms from broken glass through which he had to walk. On 29 April, Roman was transported by helicopter to the National Burn Center of Minsk Emergency Hospital.
The head of state kept an eye on the progress in the treatment of the boy.
The healthcare minister and the country's best doctors of various specializations took part in the consultations to determine the treatment protocols for Roman. Several consultations were held with the participation of Russian colleagues.
People all over Belarus recorded videos with words of support for Roman and his parents.
Earlier, the head of state had signed a decree to award Roman Kogodovsky the Order for Personal Gallantry.
Burn surgeon (chief) of the Pediatric Burn Department Igor Zelenko and intensivist of the Intensive Care Department Marina Markevich were awarded the Medal for Labor Merits for many years of fruitful work, exceptional professionalism, services to medicine.
Intensivist (chief) of the Intensive Care Department Larisa Zolotukhina and operating room nurse of the Surgery Department Valentina Kazarezova received commendation letters for many years of fruitful work, exemplary performance of duties, and services to medicine.
Dean of the Surgery Faculty of the Belarusian Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education, chief non-staff burn surgeon of the Healthcare Ministry Aleksei Chasnoit was awarded the Medal of Francysk Skaryna.
