Paid Medicine and Export of Medical Services in the 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," said Mikhail Vishnevetsky, Head of the Main Department of 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 time. 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, and 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 large city clinics but also in the district hospitals of Postavy, Verkhnedvinsk, Braslav, Lepel, and Glubokoye. These inter-district centers have new computed tomography scanners, modern laparoscopic equipment for minimally invasive surgeries, and telecommunication facilities for online consultations with leading specialists in the region.

The regional healthcare system utilizes advanced achievements in medical science, providing high-class medical services, including exclusive and unique ones, not only for the healthcare system of our country but also for foreign medicine. New laparoscopic equipment for minimally invasive surgeries is operational in Polotsk and Braslav. High and expert-class ultrasound diagnostic machines have been acquired for the Vitebsk Regional Clinical Maternity Hospital. The Vitebsk Regional Center for Dermatovenereology and Cosmetology offers patients a rich assortment of cosmetic and other high-tech procedures.

The Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine, designed for 60 visits per day, operates effectively at the State Healthcare Institution "Vitebsk Regional Clinical Center for Medical Rehabilitation for Disabled Persons and Veterans of Combat Operations in Foreign Countries." 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, Eastern massage, Gua Sha, Qigong exercises, and kinesiotaping.

The Vitebsk Regional Clinical Specialized Center performs unique laparoscopic surgeries; it offers treatment for varicose veins, including complicated cases with trophic ulcers, using laser and endoscopic methods; microsclerotherapy and foam sclerotherapy are available, including under ultrasound guidance; pelvic floor surgery using synthetic implants is performed, and much more. The development of new clinical protocols for proctological diseases by the center's specialists in short-stay surgery and day surgery units allows for minimizing patient hospitalization time.

The Vitebsk Regional Diagnostic Center offers a diverse range of services, for example: breast elastography, B-mode ultrasonography of the eye, binocular vision tests, stereotests, tests for malingerers and aggravators, and other services adapted, including specifically for foreign citizens, through the use of projected images and numbers. The diagnostic center's multifunctionality enables a comprehensive and high-quality patient examination within a single day.

In turn, the Main Department for Healthcare of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee offers all interested parties new approaches to the medical services export support system, coordinating the functions of regional scientific and clinical centers, healthcare institutions, and organizations providing transport and insurance services based on a specially developed interaction mechanism.