The Semashko City Hospital No. 1 in Orsha has opened a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) department. A section of the therapeutic building of the city hospital was reconstructed to accommodate the MRI scanner. The magnetic resonance tomograph was purchased using funds from the republican budget through centralized procurement by the Ministry of Health. The cost of the equipment exceeded Br2.4 million.

The new MRI scanner will help doctors provide timely, accurate, and safe diagnostics of diseases of the brain and spinal cord, gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular system, and the capsular-ligamentous apparatus of joints, as well as various difficult-to-diagnose pathologies. This will significantly improve the accessibility and quality of medical care for residents of Orsha and four neighboring districts: Dubrovensky, Senno, Tolochinsky, and Chashniksky.

"The department employs three radiologists who have undergone special training to operate the new equipment. If we switch to a round-the-clock operating mode, we may expand the staff of specialists. The number of patients per shift will depend on the pathologies being investigated. While diagnosing ischemic stroke of the brain takes 15 minutes, diagnosing the abdominal cavity with contrast enhancement requires an hour. We also need to add patient preparation time before the procedure," said Pavel Zhelezny, Head of the MRI Department.

The Minister of Health, Dmitry Pinevich, took part in the grand opening ceremony of the MRI department. "A new structure for providing medical care is being established here, which will be adopted by other regions. You bear a great responsibility, and we will all be held to a high standard," noted the head of the Ministry of Health.

Chairman of the Regional Executive Committee, Alexander Subbotin, spoke to journalists about the new department and the development of the healthcare system in the Vitebsk region: "Orsha has only benefited from the opening of this department. New, state-of-the-art equipment and new specialists have appeared here. This is one of the building blocks for the overall construction of the region's healthcare system. Now, residents not only of Orsha but also of the nearest districts will be able to receive quality medical care. Undoubtedly, one of our main objectives will be the modernization of the regional hospital, as there are high hopes for the segment of a vast scientific and production educational cluster that we plan to create at the regional hospital."