Vitebsk region's ambulance fleet replenished with 33 new vehicles
– The modernization of the ambulance service in the Vitebsk region continues. A total of 45 vehicles have been purchased this year: 12 through the Development Bank and 33 through centralized procurement under the Ministry of Health, – Viktor Gomonov, chief physician of the Vitebsk Regional Ambulance Service Center, told media representatives. – The region's vehicle fleet has been updated by almost 80%. This will increase the efficiency and quality of call handling and will significantly improve the service for the rural population. The service centralization is currently underway; this year, an inter-district ambulance center was established in Polotsk, which includes the Novopolotsk station, and departments in Lepel, Rossony, Verkhnedvinsk, and Ushachi. The entire vehicle fleet of the Polotsk region has already been updated. The rural population has also felt this significant benefit, as they are now sent directly to city and regional institutions for specialized medical care, bypassing central district hospitals, if necessary. Such centralization allows for control over the use of ambulances and improves logistics in patient transportation. Bypassing district hospitals, patients with, for example, acute coronary insufficiency, myocardial infarction, or acute cerebrovascular accident, arrive at specialized high-tech medical centers where they can receive immediate assistance.
The assembly of vehicles of Belarusian production, explained the head of the service, is carried out at the "Brestmash" plant, and then they are supplied for re-equipment as ambulances to MAZ. The Minsk Automobile Plant carries out this work together with its subsidiary "Kupava." They have significantly improved in quality and comfort for both service employees and the public. Modern portable equipment for equipping the vehicles – ventilators, ECG recorders, defibrillators, and more – has been purchased through centralized procurement by the Ministry of Health.
On this day, the vehicles were dispatched to their destinations in the regions, and some of them remained in service in Vitebsk. The purchase of another 36 vehicles to serve the population of the region is planned for next year.
By the way, in the Vitebsk region, there are currently 113 ambulance teams and 147 vehicles in operation.