Opinions & Interviews
Lukashenko draws attention to functionality during hospital construction, reconstruction
MINSK, 25 December (BelTA) – Functionality should be high on the list of priorities during construction and reconstruction of hospitals. Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko made the relevant statement as he visited the Minsk Children’s Infectious Diseases Hospital on 25 December, BelTA has learned.
The president wondered about the functionality of the hospital and its conformance with modern approaches, including the architectural design. Aleksandr Lukashenko explained why he had touched upon the matter. “We are considering building a new hospital in the Novinki area in Minsk. But we have to decidedly make up our minds. I mean the functionality,” he noted. “From the point of view of comfort. One-patient wards, two-patient wards at most, particularly for kids. We have to strive for it, we have to do it. And not because we need to save money. But because curing a patient takes more than medications, a scalpel and a syringe. It also takes psychology, comfort, and convenience. We want people to feel well, to be in a good mood. It is a good background for recovery.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko also pointed out that people come to hospitals to get treatment, not rest. “And we have to learn how to treat people in a hospital as long as we have to,” he said. “We shouldn’t skimp but we should use money wisely. We also have to be smart about building hospitals and equipping them.”
The hospital’s Chief Physician Marina Sokolova told Aleksandr Lukashenko in detail how patient treatment is organized. She informed about existing capabilities and advantages of an infectious diseases hospital. The hospital takes patients that need specialized care not only from the capital city but from all over the country.
When Aleksandr Lukashenko asked her what the hospital lacks for children’s treatment, Marina Sokolova noted they have everything – the necessary number of beds, premises, and equipment.
According to Marina Sokolova, future investments should be channeled into modern equipment. “We don’t need spacious corridors and sofas. We need well-equipped wards. It is the most important thing,” the chief physician said.
The Minsk Children’s Infectious Diseases Hospital is the city’s largest hospital for children and the country’s only in-patient hospital that focuses on treating infectious diseases in children. The hospital is designed to accommodate 604 in-patients at a time. It has 13 infectious disease units and two anesthesiology and intensive care units.
All the children in Minsk that demonstrate COVID-19 clinical symptoms and pneumonia symptoms are offered in-patient treatment in this hospital.
Every year the hospital provides medical aid to over 25,000 patients suffering not only from infectious diseases but also diseases that affect respiratory organs, the digestive system, the urogenital and nervous systems. A national center for children’s infectious pathologies has been established as part of the hospital. The hospital boasts modern medical equipment for quality diagnostics.
The hospital employs over 900 people, including 165 doctors and 426 paramedics. It is worth noting that 168 employees have worked in the hospital for over 20 years.
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