The Department of Pediatrics was founded in 1961 as the Department of Pediatrics-2 at Belarusian State Institute for Advanced Medical Training. In January, 2004, it was renamed into the Department of Pediatrics.
Heads of the department for the whole period were the following ones: from 1961 to 1974, the department was headed by Candidate of Medical Sciences, associate professor N.A.Saevich; from 1974 to 1996, it was headed by Doctor of Medical Sciences, professor T.N.Sukovatykh; since 1996, professor L.M.Belyaeva, Doctor of Medical Sciences, has been in charge of the department.
In 1990, in Leningrad, L.M.Belyaeva defended Doctoral thesis entitled 'Basics of prognosing of essential arterial hypertension in children and teenagers”. In 1992, L.M.Belyaeva got the scientific title of professor. Her academic and scientific work experience is more than 30 years.
For the whole period of her working career, professor L.M. Belyaeva has created a unique pediatrician scientific school. For the first time in the USSR, she created a new direction in pediatrics – study of heredity influence in the development of vegetative dysfunctions and arterial hypertension. Professor L.M.Belyaeva has been actively involved into the research work, practically, on all directions of pediatrics, and she successfully prepares the scientific and academic staff.
Under the scientific supervision of professor L.M.Belyaeva, there have been defended 19 Candidate’s (O.V.Popov, E.Y.Zhdanovich, V.I.Prikhodzko, E.A.Kolupaeva, О.А.Zmitrovich, N.V.Kuptsevich, D.V.Buza, I.V.Pyatnitskaya, E.E. Orlova, N.V.Mikulchik, I.D.Chizhevskaya, R.N.Mankevich, I.A.Malevanaya, N.V.Dubovik, T.S.Matiushko, N.I.Panulina, S.A.Sukalo, O.N.Dovnar-Zapolskaya, N.A.Skuratova) and Doctoral (N.A.Maksimovich) theses. L.M. Belyaeva has published more than 400 scientific works, including more than 70 ones in foreign editions; she has 6 patents and 2 innovation proposals.
For the last 20 years, under her scientific supervision, there have been completed more than 20 scientific projects. According to the results of the scientific researches of professor L.M.Belyaeva, there have been developed and implemented a number of methods into the clinical practice of pediatricians in Belarus: modern diagnostic and treatment methods to cure children with rheumatic, cardiological and allergological diseases.
L.M.Belyaeva is an author and coauthor of 11 monographs and 2 reference books, more than 60 educational manuals and instructions for pediatricians.
For the last decades, the research work of the department has been devoted to the study of the most important directions of pediatrics: development and implementation of complicated cases of diagnostic researches on the problems of pediatric cardiology, rheumatology, clinical immunology and allergology, influence of ecological factors on children’s health, issues of physiology of the development and education of a «healthy child» etc.
At different periods, there has been defended Doctoral theses: I.V.Vasilevsky, V.F.Zhernosek.
Specialists of the department have developed and implemented the approved advanced training and retraining programs on pediatrics, multilevel tests for pediatricians and tests for getting different qualification categories on the specialty «Pediatrics», study guides, corresponded to the world’s level of science, medicine and postgraduate training of pediatricians.
The department holds advanced training courses on different topics for pediatricians, physicians working at adolescent health units, general practitioners, pediatric allergologists, cardiologists, rheumatologists, nephrologists, gastroenterologists, teachers working at higher medical educational establishments and medical colleges:
- Physiology and pathology of infants (for pediatricians, general practitioners);
- Modern methods of diagnostics of cardiovascular system in children (for lecturers working at medical educational establishments, pediatricians, cardiologists, rheumatologists, general practitioners, physicians of sports medicine);
- Diseases of respiratory organs in children (for pediatricians, pulmonologists, general practitioners);
- Diagnostics, treatment and prevention of diseases in older children (for pediatricians, physicians working at adolescent health units, general practitioners)
- Clinical rheumatology (for pediatricians, rheumatologists, general practitioners);
- Pathology of digestive system in children of different age (for pediatricians, gastroenterologists, general practitioners);
- Clinical immunology and allergology in pediatrics (for lecturers working at medical educational establishments, for pediatricians, allergologists-immunologists);
- Problems of modern pediatrics (for pediatricians, physicians working at adolescent health units, general practitioners);
- Modern approaches to the diagnostics and treatment of rheumatic diseases in children and teenagers (for pediatricians, cardiologists, rheumatologists, general practitioners);
- Pathology of urinary system in the childhood (for pediatricians, nephrologists, general practitioners);
- Pathology in teenagers (for pediatricians, physicians working at adolescent health units, general practitioners);
- Allergic conditions and diseases (for physicians of therapeutic and pediatric specialties).
Since 1979 until the present, the department is based at the 4th Minsk Children’s Clinical Hospital; Shishkina Street, 24.
4th Minsk Children’s Clinical Hospital is a multidisciplinary treatment and diagnostic establishment equipped with modern devices. The hospital has 306 beds and 6 pediatrician divisions: intensive therapy and resuscitation division, allergology division, gastroenterology division, rheumatology division, pediatric division for older children, psychiatrical division and 2 surgical divisions - ophthalmological and maxillofacial divisions. Rheumatology and ophthalmological divisions carry out functions of the republican centers.
Annually, more than 10 000 children aged from 1 month to 18 years old get high-quality pediatrician medical care. About 60% of patients are consulted by specialists working at the Department of Pediatrics.
Specialists of the department, together with the Public Health Committee of Minsk City Executive Committee and administration of the 4th Minsk City Clinical Hospital, regularly participate in the organization of city and republican scientific and practical conferences and meetings for physicians, carry out huge methodological and scientific and research work. Together with physicians of the hospital, specialists of the department carry out scientific researches on different fields of pediatrics, the results of which are being implemented into the practical work of clinics in the Republic of Belarus.
Specialists of the department have developed and implemented protocols and standards into the practical healthcare: protocols and standards of diagnostics, treatment and rehabilitation of cardiological, rheumatologic, acute and chronic allergic diseases in children.
Rheumatology and cardiology units of different clinics and polyclinics of the Republic of Belarus use the protocols of treatment and rehabilitation of children with system diseases of the connective tissue. Together with the Public Health Committee of Minsk City Executive Committee, there has been organized and has been functioning the scientific and practical school “Prevention of arterial hypertension and metabolic syndrome in children and teenagers”. The school is based at the 22nd Minsk Pediatric Polyclinic.
Annually, specialists of the department consult more than 1000 patients in polyclinics, go on emergency and consulting calls in clinics of Belarus.
