Russia (bbabo.net), - The number of people infected with the omicron coronavirus strain in the republic is growing exponentially. Health care needs to be able to respond to the challenges of the time, and at the same time be engaged in ongoing work on disease prevention and planned treatment of citizens. What awaits the inhabitants of Bashkiria in the next pandemic year? Should children be vaccinated? What successes is the medical community of the region proud of? We talked about this and many other things at the "Business Breakfast" with the Minister of Health of the Republic of Belarus Maxim Zabelin
Maxim Vasilyevich, Omicron has just arrived in our republic, and we are already seeing that the number of people infected with coronavirus has begun to rise sharply. What to expect from the new strain and how prepared is our healthcare for the next wave of the pandemic?
Maxim Zabelin: We build our forecast on the data that is in the public domain - these are figures from the World Health Organization, the opinion of foreign experts and our immunologists. Based on all this, we expect an increase in the number of cases by 3-4 times. If about 40,000 people were infected in the country in November, then this wave will include more than 100,000 patients diagnosed with coronavirus every month. Therefore, we are now intensively preparing, first of all, for an increased load on the primary health care link - on our therapists, polyclinics, ambulance, situational and covid centers. I think we can do it.
Prior to this, the maximum number of covid beds was 8155, plus more than two thousand for patients undergoing aftercare. We are currently preparing 10,000 beds for inpatient care for patients with coronavirus, as well as 3,000 for aftercare and early rehabilitation of patients.
Although, judging by the practice of our foreign colleagues, "omicron" proceeds much easier: patients develop pneumonia less often and fewer need hospitalization. But it's too early to relax.
What is the situation with vaccination and should I get vaccinated now?
Maxim Zabelin: Now more than 86 percent of the adult population has completed the vaccination, with the first component - more than 90 percent. According to this indicator, we are in 9th place in Russia. A vaccine for children and adolescents has arrived, we will distribute it throughout the republic. We identify the needs for it in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Belarus. Many parents agree to vaccination. Although there are those who are against it, which is difficult for me personally to understand. For some reason, when our kitchen faucet breaks, we call a plumber, when something is wrong with the TV, we hand it over to a specialist for repair, and when it comes to health, we read the Internet, ask colleagues for advice, turn to bloggers. There is a vaccine invented in Russia, proven and tested in all respects. We must listen to doctors and get vaccinated. And also vaccinate children.
It is clear that during the pandemic, the number of claims to medicine has increased. A lot of people complain on social networks that it is difficult to get to the doctors, especially to call them at home. How do you assess the situation yourself: is our healthcare system coping with the challenges of the time?
Maxim Zabelin: In 2021, more than a million citizens who came to see us were treated at polyclinics. Single complaints in social networks account for less than two percent of those who received assistance. At the same time, we monitor all requests, the issue of the quality and availability of medical care is under constant control. Yes, there is a lack of staff in the primary link. There are more than two thousand therapeutic sites in the republic, and 1122 doctors work. There are 1.91 sites per therapist, so some people have more workload than they should. We are trying to solve the problem in different ways. For example, our medical university supplies us with residents as physician assistants. Students of medical colleges work in the registry and keep documentation.
There is a shortage of doctors in Russia as a whole. Therefore, there is a program of targeted training for specialists. Since 2019, the procedure for concluding agreements with target recipients has changed: if after graduation a young specialist does not want to return, he will be obliged to pay for all training and even compensation - this is several million rubles. Also in the republic there is a regional program to attract narrow specialists - these are payments of up to one million rubles to those who come to work with us. There are also federal programs "Zemsky doctor" and "Zemsky paramedic". Cities with a population of up to 50 thousand people also fall under them. We also offer young professionals benefits related to hiring and providing housing, placing children in a kindergarten. Work is underway, but not all at once. Understand, to build a hospital, it will take a year or two, to bring up a specialist in medicine - 8-10 years.
Residents of Neftekamsk are wondering when they will build a covid hospital?Maskim Zabelin: The Ministry of Health of Bashkiria came out with an initiative to the government to build five infection centers in the republic. The proposal was approved. The construction of two covid centers has already begun: for the west of the republic - in Tuymazy, for residents of the Trans-Urals - in Sibay.
For three others, they are now looking for financial opportunities - we are talking about the centers in Neftekamsk, Beloretsk and Salavat. We are working on the issue not only at the republican, but also at the federal level. As soon as we find the money, we will start construction. Now technologies of prefabricated structures are used, so the new center can be completed on a turnkey basis in two months.
Who will work in covid hospitals in Tuymazy and Sibay if there is a shortage of personnel in existing medical institutions. Will the Ministry send a paratrooper of doctors?
Maxim Zabelin: When determining the location of new centers, we looked at the situation in these cities at the moment. Both Tuymazy and Sibay already have expanded infectious diseases departments. All personnel will move from there to new hospitals and will work in modern conditions. To strengthen personnel, if necessary, we will be able to attract colleagues from nearby areas who will work on a rotational basis. All of them are prepared: they have been trained and passed tests. The exchange of competencies between the regions also continues: we ourselves leave teams of professors and teachers and invite leading specialists from federal clinics to visit us - some of them can visit and work in new centers.
What would you call the main achievement of 2021 and what tasks do you set for 2022?
Maxim Zabelin: Our colleagues have learned how to quickly and efficiently provide medical care, depending on the task at hand. Perhaps this is the main achievement of the year. We easily adjust the format of work depending on the situation, we have become mobile, while maintaining the quality and availability of our medicine. We provide all types of high-tech medical care, the number of organ and tissue transplants is growing, as well as the level of competence of our specialists. I am grateful to my colleagues for the professional teamwork.
The main task for this year is to complete the story related to COVID-19. And also put into operation new facilities: a cardiology center, a polyclinic N9 in Ufa, a children's and adult polyclinic in Birsk, outpatient clinics in the Tuymazinsky and Ilishevsky districts, and much more. And, of course, we will strive to achieve the indicators of the Healthcare national project.
Why is it so difficult to get through to the hotline of the Ministry of Health of Bashkiria, and even more so through it to call a doctor - the phone is busy all the time?
Maxim Zabelin: We have so-called "peak hours", usually in the first half of the day on Monday and Tuesday, when after the weekend there is an influx of calls and operators do not have time to answer all at once. Last year alone, the hotline of the Ministry of Health received 3.4 million calls. Now we have strengthened the work of the call center and introduced an electronic assistant "Svetlana", which can simultaneously receive up to 40 calls and make an appointment with a doctor. To date, the robot has already issued more than 170 thousand calls.
Number
5 covid hospitals will be built in the republic.
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