A ceremonial meeting dedicated to honouring the region's healthcare workers was held in Vitebsk.

Over 100 healthcare facilities have been commissioned in the Vitebsk region over the past five years. More than Br143 million has been allocated for these purposes, as reported by the Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, Nikolai Sherstnev, at a formal meeting dedicated to honouring the region's medical workers.

Over 100 healthcare facilities have been commissioned in the Vitebsk region over the past five years. More than Br143 million has been allocated for these purposes, as reported by the Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, Nikolai Sherstnev, at a formal meeting dedicated to honouring the region's medical workers.

Among the opened facilities are polyclinics in Vitebsk, Verkhnedvinsk, Novolukoml, Chashniki, Rossony, Ushachi, Senno, the Begoml and Bolbasovo district hospitals, an infectious diseases ward in Glubokoye, and dental departments in Braslav and Dokshitsy. This year, the modernization of the treatment ward of the Yurtsevo Regional Hospital for Veterans of the Great Patriotic War, the major overhaul of the rehabilitation department of Orsha City Hospital No. 3, and other facilities have been completed. In general, a quarter of the region's budget is spent on financing the healthcare system.

Nikolai Sherstnev noted that the pandemic had introduced adjustments to the work of institutions. A comprehensive set of preventive measures was implemented from the very beginning, with the main goal of protecting people's lives and health. Everyone was involved in solving these tasks. The entire region's medical system worked in a targeted and coordinated manner: doctors, specialists from sanitary and epidemiological services, ambulance crews, and junior medical staff. From the first days, the Vitebsk Regional Hospital, the Infectious Diseases Hospital, the Central City Hospital and Hospital No. 1, the Emergency Hospital, and many others joined the front lines of the fight against the pandemic.

"The workload on medical workers was high. Many lived separated from their families and loved ones for weeks, working at the limit of human strength and capabilities. Scientists and the teaching staff of the Vitebsk State Medical University made a significant contribution to the fight against the pandemic. Students worked shoulder to shoulder with their mentors. They received their true baptism of fire and were tested for their loyalty to their future profession," noted the head of the region. He emphasized that during this time, people have re-evaluated many things, learned to treat each other more carefully, and more fully realized the importance of the work of healthcare professionals.

The Head of the Anaesthesiology and Resuscitation Department of the Vitebsk Regional Clinical Hospital, Alexander Goncharov, was awarded a Letter of Gratitude from the President of Belarus during the event. According to him, the pandemic demanded the mobilisation of all psychological and physical strengths from doctors, primarily from infectious disease specialists and anaesthesiologists-resuscitators. "Everyone knows that in Vitebsk, many hospitals were repurposed for COVID-19 patients. First and foremost, the Regional Infectious Disease Hospital. My team voluntarily started working there from March 9th to save as many people as possible. The same was true at the Regional Hospital: from April, the number of intensive care beds was increased, and additional oxygen supply points were equipped. Working in these non-standard conditions became a great school for healthcare professionals, and they proved themselves to be highly skilled professionals," emphasised Alexander Goncharov.