45.2% of the cost of a voucher for the first shift to a full-time camp for children was compensated by a subsidy, and 70.6% for a day camp.

July 24, Minsk /Elena Prus - BELTA/. Subsidies covered 45.2% of the cost of a voucher for the first session at a 24-hour children's camp and 70.6% for a day camp. This was reported to BELTA correspondent by Gennady Bolbatovsky, Director of the Republican Centre for Health Improvement and Sanatorium-Resort Treatment of the Population under the Council of Ministers.

According to operational data, for the first session, the average cost of a voucher for a 24-hour children's health camp was Br1,991.9 thousand, with the subsidy set at Br900 thousand. For a day children's health camp, the average voucher cost was Br496 thousand, and the subsidy was Br350 thousand. A voucher for a specialised 24-hour children's health camp for at least 9 days cost Br502 thousand, with Br360 thousand (71.7%) allocated to reduce its cost. The cost of a voucher for a work and leisure day camp for children was Br523.9 thousand, with a subsidy of Br395 thousand (75.4%).

During the first session, 237.1 thousand children were accommodated for health improvement, including 53.9 thousand children in 24-hour camps and 183.2 thousand children in day camps. In total, it is planned to accommodate 376.9 thousand children for health improvement during the summer holidays, the source emphasised.

In the first session, 4,611 health improvement camps operated: 936 24-hour camps (including 167 stationary ones) and 3,675 day camps. Incidentally, the opening of 6 stationary camps is planned for the second session, and one more camp will start functioning in the third session.

According to the centre's director, rented facilities are also used for health improvement of children in 24-hour camps: sanatorium-resort and health organisations, schools, gymnasiums, vocational colleges, military units, etc.

Children's recreation in day and 24-hour camps with various specialisations and activities is in high demand and is widely popular. In these camps, 76.3 thousand children aged 6 to 18 were accommodated for health improvement during the first session. Practically every third voucher holder for the first session stayed in a specialised camp (there were 1,926 of them across the republic). In defence-sports, military-patriotic, sports and health, and other specialised camps, 11.9 thousand children aged 15-18 underwent health improvement in June.

Gennady Bolbatovsky noted that in 540 labour and recreation camps (which opened for the first time this year), 9.7 thousand children aged 14 to 18 years old were recuperated during the first shift (89% of the plan for the summer period). Job placements for teenagers were provided by agricultural enterprises, housing and communal services departments, green construction organisations, forestry enterprises, trade organisations and other entities. Among the types of work performed were territory cleaning and improvement, weeding, landscaping, berry picking, tree planting, furniture repair, shop window decoration, etc.

Special attention was paid to the recuperation of orphans (5.6 thousand people received vouchers during the first shift) and children with disabilities (2.2 thousand).

"The monetary norms of expenditure on nutrition established by the government (taking into account the age groups of children and types of camps) made it possible to ensure high-quality, balanced nutrition for children in health resorts," said Gennady Bolbatovsky. "Camp owners, together with trade departments and regional consumer unions, supplied the camps with food products directly from manufacturers without interruption, with minimal trade mark-ups, and priority was given to domestically produced goods."

Regarding the safety of children's stay in the camps, emergency situations affecting sanitary and epidemiological well-being, infectious diseases, and accidents involving children in health resorts were not registered during the first shift, Gennady Bolbatovsky summarised. -0-

News of Belarus (BELTA)