President Anatoly Bibilov held a working meeting with the Health Minister Soslan Naniev, the press service of the head of state reported. During the meeting, issues of the development of the medical field were discussed, but the main issue on the agenda was the situation with the coronavirus.
The President noted the increase in the incidence and asked the Minister about the current situation and the availability of medicines in the "red zone".
Naniev has noted that to date there is an increase in the incidence and this process is monotonous. At the beginning of the year, there were some difficulties with the delivery of medicines, but this problem was solved.
“From today, the shortage of medicines has been reduced, and by the end of the week it will be completely covered. As for expensive drugs such as Artlegia and other medicines, there is no shortage of them,” said Soslan Naniev.
Anatoly Bibilov was also interested in the situation with oxygen in the hospital, as there was an oxygen deficiency at the beginning of the pandemic.
Soslan Naniev said that at present there was no shortage of certified medical oxygen in the medical institutions of South Ossetia.
“There are relevant agreements with the Russian Federation, and we do not experience a lack of oxygen. The volume that we have allows us to provide care to up to 200 patients simultaneously for two weeks.
Liquid oxygen is in reserve. This is about 8 tons, and the oxygen that is used at the moment is produced by the oxygen station,” he stressed.
The Minister also informed about the purchase of equipment for the PCR laboratory, which will allow them to conduct tests on the basis of the RMMC.
The President, in turn, has noted that now, first of all, it is necessary to eliminate the problem with the shortage of medicines for the treatment of patients with coronavirus. At the same time, the head of state stressed that in no case should the provision of medicines to other departments of medical institutions be relegated to the background.
The Minister has agreed with the head of state, noting that the leadership of the department is now carrying out more thorough control over the distribution of medicines.
“Accounting for available medicines is currently done on paper, and thus we were not able to track and respond in a timely manner to emerging drug shortages. Starting next week, all drug records will be kept electronically, which will allow us to avoid such situations in the future,” he said.
Soslan Naniev has clarified, that the method of electronic monitoring will allow not only to control the availability of the drug in the warehouse, but also to monitor the situation in hospital departments.
Anatoly Bibilov proposed to open a "hot line" in order to avoid misuse of drugs, where any citizen can call and report that he is "offered to buy a drug that is available in the hospital."
In conclusion of the discussion of this issue, Soslan Naniev informed that the state pharmacies of South Ossetia have also been converted to digital mode, which will allow buying medicines online with home delivery at a price below the market.
During the meeting, they also discussed the prospects for the development of the healthcare sector in various directions. Soslan Naniev informed the Head of state in detail about the ongoing programs, including hip and knee joint prosthetics.
“We have a plan to develop medical care capabilities in various areas. In February, equipment will be purchased to continue prosthetics of the hip joints. Prosthetics will be monthly. In March, the arrival of traumatologists is planned, who will train our specialists in prosthetics of the knee joints. This type of prosthetics is not available even in the republics of the North Caucasus,” said Soslan Naniev.
He has also stressed that the prostheses will be of high quality and this type of medical care will be free for the population.
“In February, a high-class traumatologist is expected to visit us for a permanent job. He is a specialist in caring for patients with severe injuries in road accidents. He is also a specialist in gunshot and explosive injuries. We already have an agreement with him,” he explained.
The Minister informed the President about the arrival of a forensic medical expert, and in February, according to the Minister, two anesthesiologists-resuscitators will arrive at their permanent place of work. Also, a visit of a neurosurgeon is planned to the Republic, for whom the Ministry of Health plans to purchase the necessary equipment for work.
“The neurosurgeon will provide assistance to patients with head and spinal injuries, and will also operate on intervertebral hernia,” the Minister said.
The President has agreed that neurosurgery is a very important area, but at the same time noted that the citizens of South Ossetia travel outside the Republic most often to specialists in cardiovascular diseases.
“This direction is extremely multi-tasking and extremely expensive. To date, the Ministry of Health does not have the necessary resources, but it is necessary to prepare the basis for the development of this healthcare sector,” said Anatoly Bibilov.
During the meeting, the topic of air ambulance was also discussed. Soslan Naniev has noted that there is an agreement with the North Ossetian colleagues on this issue, and the draft agreement is being considered.
At the end of the meeting, the President expressed his gratitude to the doctors, as well as the doctors of the "red zone" for their selfless work. He instructed the Minister to monitor the situation with payments and not delay them.
