
As you may know, Belarus is a transit country, a bridge between the West and the East. And this duality can also be seen when we speak of health. On one hand, we are best among all former Soviet states in nearly all medical parameters. Say, child mortality is the lowest among CIS states. As for infectious diseases, Belarus is also the most safe as compared to Russia.
Just look at the spurt by Belarus national pediatric oncology and hematology center (besides, it is unparalleled in Europe)! Before 1997 only every second sick child used to survive there, today this number jumped to 72 per cent.
Yes, Belarusian women are not much willing to bear many children, still, this year the number of deliveries was greater than that of abortions, for the first time in many years. One can interpret this trends as a chance to win the demography battle. According to medics, solution to sterility problem will contribute to this too; statistics says up to 20 per cent of married couples suffer from sterility. Placing the greater emphasis to disease prevention instead of treatment, is another positive factor. Even the worst Belarusian evil — cardiovascular diseases can be defeated, says Georgy Sidorenko, luminary of Belarusian cardiology. Even when you cross the line of yeasty years. It’s evident that society is ageing.
We have nowhere to go from European reality, where half the population will turn 80 in several decades, thinks Alexander Khapaliuk, M.D., chief geriatrician at healthcare ministry and chair of clinical pharmacology and therapy department at Belarusian Postgraduate Medical Academy. Today there are more than 1.8 million elderly people in Belarus.
Still, life goes on.
by Galina Basova