Paid Medicine and Export of Medical Services in Healthcare of the Vitebsk Region: Tasks, Potential, Development Vector
“The lifting of “COVID” restrictions, as well as the possible abolition of visas for patients and their accompanying persons, which was announced today by the State Border Committee, the development and adoption of a state program to support the export of medical services – will open up new opportunities for the Vitebsk region to develop the paid medicine sector and increase the export of medical services,” – this opinion was expressed by Mikhail Vishnevetsky, Head of the Main Department for Healthcare of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee.
According to him, monitoring the effectiveness of the paid medical services sector in the pre-pandemic period revealed dynamics, potential, and those areas of activity where the best results can be achieved in a short period. For example, statistical data for 2018 and 2019 show the demand for paid services primarily among citizens of neighboring countries – Russia, Lithuania, Latvia, etc. Thus, the total number of foreign patients who received paid medical services was 20,409 people in 2018, and 20,932 people in 2019.
The significant advancement of high-tech medical care in the Vitebsk region, the application of innovative treatment methods, the active use of telemedicine, the implementation of innovative treatment techniques, the presence of a center for non-traditional medicine, the possibility of providing unique medical services in the last two years, despite the pandemic, allow us to consider the export of medical services as a promising direction for the development of regional healthcare.
Today, the healthcare system of the Vitebsk region can offer a wide range of paid medical services not only in regional centers and clinics of large cities, but also in the district hospitals of Postavy, Verkhnedvinsk, Braslav, Lepel, Glubokoye. These inter-district centers have new computed tomography scanners, modern laparoscopic equipment for minimally invasive surgery, and telecommunication equipment for online consultations with leading specialists in the region.
Regional healthcare uses the best practices of modern achievements in medical science, provides medical services of the highest class, including
exclusive, unique not only for the healthcare of our country, but also for foreign medicine. New laparoscopic equipment for minimally invasive surgery is in operation in Polotsk and Braslav. High and expert class ultrasound diagnostic devices have been acquired for the Vitebsk Regional Clinical Maternity Hospital. A wide range of cosmetic and other high-tech procedures is offered to patients by the Vitebsk Regional Center for Dermatovenereology and Cosmetology.On the basis of the State Healthcare Institution "Vitebsk Regional Clinical Center for Medical Rehabilitation for Disabled Persons and Veterans of Combat Operations in Other States," the Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine is effectively functioning, designed for 60 visits per day. Under the guidance of Chinese colleagues, the center's specialists have mastered a wide range of therapeutic and wellness procedures: classic acupuncture, auriculopuncture, pharmacopuncture, cupping therapy, moxibustion therapy, hirudotherapy, magnetic reflexology, electroreflexology, oriental massage, Gua Sha, Qigong exercises, and kinesiotaping.
The Vitebsk Regional Clinical Specialized Center performs unique laparoscopic surgeries; treatment for varicose veins, including those complicated by trophic ulcers, using laser and endoscopic methods is offered; microsclerotherapy and foam sclerotherapy, including under ultrasound guidance, are available; pelvic floor surgery using synthetic implants and much more is performed. The development of new clinical protocols for proctological diseases by the center's specialists in short-stay surgery and day surgery beds allows for minimizing patient stay in the clinic.
The Vitebsk Regional Diagnostic Center offers a diverse selection of services, for example: breast elastography, B-mode ultrasonography of the eye, tests for binocular vision, stereotests, tests for detecting simulators and aggravators, and other services adapted, including specifically for foreign citizens, due to the provided images and numbers in the projector. Multifunctionality
diagnostic center allows for the most comprehensive and high-quality patient examination within one day.
In turn, the main department for healthcare of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee offers all interested parties new approaches to the export support system for medical services, coordinates the functions of regional scientific and clinical centers, healthcare institutions, and organizations providing transport and insurance services based on a specially developed interaction mechanism.