The fleet expansion will maximise the efficiency of completing the centralisation of the Emergency Medical Services in the Vitebsk region.
– The modernisation of the emergency medical services in the Vitebsk region is ongoing. A total of 45 vehicles have been purchased this year: 12 through the Development Bank and 33 through centralised procurement via the Ministry of Health, – Viktor Gomonov, Chief Physician of the Vitebsk Regional Centre for Emergency Medical Care, told media representatives. – The region's vehicle fleet has been almost 80% updated. This will enhance the promptness and quality of call response, and will significantly improve services for the rural population. Centralisation of the service is currently underway; this year, an inter-district emergency medical centre has been established in Polotsk, incorporating the station in Novopolotsk and the departments in Lepel, Rossony, Verkhnedvinsk, and Ushachi. The entire vehicle fleet in the Polotsk region has already been updated. This significant advantage has also benefited the rural population, who, bypassing central district hospitals, are sent directly to city and regional institutions for specialised medical care when necessary. Such centralisation allows for the monitoring of ambulance usage and improves the logistics of patient transportation. Bypassing district hospitals, patients with, for example, acute coronary insufficiency, myocardial infarction, or acute cerebrovascular accidents, arrive at specialised high-tech medical centres where they can receive immediate assistance.
The assembly of Belarusian-made vehicles, the head of the service explained, is carried out at the "Brestmash" production facility, after which they are delivered to MAZ for conversion into ambulances. The Minsk Automobile Plant performs these works in conjunction with its subsidiary enterprise "Kupava". They have significantly improved in quality and comfort, both for the service personnel and for the public. Modern portable equipment for equipping the vehicles – ventilators, ECG recorders, defibrillators, and more – has been acquired through centralised procurement by the Ministry of Health.
On this day, vehicles were dispatched to their designated regions, with some remaining in service in Vitebsk. For the following year, the procurement of another 36 vehicles to serve the region's population is planned.
Incidentally, the Vitebsk region currently operates 113 emergency medical teams and 147 vehicles.