On November 2, Vitebsk /Diana Kurilo - BELTA/. A comprehensive medical examination of the economically active population has commenced in the Vitebsk region, as reported to BELTA correspondent by Yuri Derkach, Head of the Healthcare Department of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee.
The distinguishing feature of this examination, compared to routine medical check-ups, is that medical teams, comprising physicians of various specialities as well as lecturers from the Vitebsk State Medical University, visit enterprises, organisations, and educational institutions to conduct a comprehensive health assessment of employees and students. Furthermore, medical personnel monitor the sanitary and hygienic conditions of workplaces and, in anticipation of an expected epidemic of viral infections and influenza, provide consultations on the prevention of common colds based on the assessment of the examinee's health status. In cases where serious health deviations are detected, physicians refer patients for more in-depth examinations at clinics, including those of the regional centre.
Once the medical teams complete their work within the labour and educational collectives, an analysis of the health status of the economically active population will be conducted, and the causes and factors influencing the morbidity of this population group will be identified. Employers will receive specific recommendations for the prevention of occupational diseases.
According to Yuri Derkach, the medical examination is being carried out within the framework of the regional demographic security programme and is driven by the need to reduce mortality among the working-age population. In 2015, the region aims to reduce mortality within this category to 5.0 per 1,000 people. Despite the emergence of positive trends in demographic processes in the region by 2010, a slowdown in population decline, and a decrease in mortality among the population over working age, medical professionals are concerned about the mortality rates among the working-age population.
An informal medical examination of the region's residents has commenced in Orsha and Orsha District. According to Vladimir Plytkevych, Chief Physician of the Orsha Central City Polyclinic, a health status assessment of employees at major industrial enterprises and secondary vocational education institutions in Orsha is currently underway. The medical teams include a general practitioner, a dentist, an ophthalmologist, a surgeon, an endocrinologist, as well as lecturers from the medical university. It is possible that a narcologist will be included in the teams. Vladimir Plytkevych stated that this "live" examination has received positive feedback from enterprise employees and management. The next stage will involve studying the health status of employees at agricultural enterprises in the district. It is anticipated that approximately 40,000 working individuals and students will be covered by the medical examination in Orsha and the district alone.
The next region where this unusual medical check-up will take place will be Polotsk, Polotsk District, and Novopolotsk.
Yuri Derkach emphasized that while focusing on the health of the working-age population, medical professionals do not intend to reduce their care for the elderly, especially those living alone. Over the next month, doctors will conduct a thorough examination of this category and identify individuals in need of special care. -0-
BELTA