The Department of Emergency Care and Disaster Medicine was founded in 1989. The staff of the department was represented by intensivists, cardiologists, anesthesiologists, toxicologists, emergency surgeons, traumatologists, neurologists. The main target of the Department of Emergency Care was training of emergency physicians on diagnostics and treatment of emergency conditions in patients before the admission to a hospital. From the time of its foundation, the Department of Emergency Medicine had been based at Minsk Emergency Clinical Hospital.
The first head of the department was Leonid Baranov, an associate professor, Candidate of Medical Sciences. He had been in charge of the department until 2003. At that time, the department was represented by the following specialists: L.D.Kunitsa, professor, Doctor of Medical Sciences; associate professors, Candidates of Medical Sciences E.G.Machulin and E.A.Voronko; assistants, Candidates of Medical Sciences T.V.Avramenko and E.N.Ostapenko. Specialists of the department were in charge of cardiology unit, toxicology unit, pulmonology unit, admission room and etc.
In 1998, there had been created a course on general medical practice at the department, which was reorganized into a separate department headed by associate professor E. A.Voronko (in 1999). In the same year, E.G.Machulin, professor, Doctor of Medical Sciences, became head of the newly created Department of Disaster Medicine.
The department of Disaster Medicine was founded in 1970. At the Department of Military and Medical Training there had been created a course on medical service of civil defense, with two lecturers in charge, one of which was P.V.Zhevnyak. In 1972, the course was headed by B.N. Martusevich, there were two newcomers at the department – the lecturers B. N. Martusevich, P. I. Kalinin, A. S. Serdyuk.
In September, 1981, the course on medical services of civil defense was reorganized into the Department of Medical Services of Civil Defense with V.N.Stavsky, Candidate of Medical Sciences, in charge. In 1983, a new lecturer, Y.K.Chernakov, started to work at the department. In 1984, the staff was extended by new specialists —B.I. Popov, a senior lecturer, and V.Z.Monich, Candidate of Medical Sciences.
In 1987, the Department of Medical Services of Civil Defense was headed by I.S.Asaenok, Candidate of Medical Sciences; in 1990, it was renamed into the Department of Emergency Medical Care, which changed the contents and targets of the training programs of the department. But in 1992, due to the retirement of two lecturers, the Department of Medical Service of Civil Defense was again reorganized into a course with two specialists — V.I.Stavsky, an associate professor, and Y.K.Chernakov, a senior lecturer.
In January, 1999, the course on medical services of civil defense was reorganized into the Department of Disaster Medicine, which was headed by E.G.Machulin, professor, Doctor of Medical Sciences. The course on combustiology was set into the curriculum of the Department of Disaster Medicine.
The clinical base of the department at that time was Minsk Emergency Clinical Hospital. The staff of the department was represented by experienced physicians, who were in charge of the admission room, burns intensive care unit, toxicology unit: O.P.Pochepen, an assistant, Candidate of Medical Sciences, assistants V.V. Postnikova and E. H. Kurilenko.
The main target of the Department of Disaster Medicine was training of healthcare leaders, emergency physicians, admitting physicians, special emergency teams of physicians, who were ready to provide necessary medical care in emergency conditions. For this purpose, there had been developed and approved a training program, which corresponded to the present-day requirements of disaster medicine.
In 2003, the staff of the department was extended by M.I.Guseva, an assistant, and A.N.Volosheniuk, Candidate of Medical Sciences, associate professor, who later became head of the department.
Since October 2003, the Department of Emergency Care had been headed by L. Mironov, an associate professor, Candidate of Medical Sciences. In 2004, professor N.P.Novikova started to work at the department, who until that time had been working at the Department of Functional Diagnostics of BelMAPE.
In December, 2004, the Department of Emergency Medicine and the Department of Disaster Medicine had been merged into one separate department, which was called the Department of Emergency Care and Disaster Medicine. The department was headed by L.L.Mironov, Candidate of Medical Sciences, an associate professor. The department had the courses: the course on emergency medical care (professor L.D. Kunitsa, associate professors N. P. Novikova, Т. V. Avramenko, assistants V. I. Pukita, V. N. Tarasevich), the course on disaster medicine (E.H.Kurilenko, V.V.Postnikova), the course on polytrauma (associate professor А. N. Volosheniuk). The staff of the department was extended by new specialists — assistants A.L.Sukovatykh and S.Y.Grachev.
The Department of Emergency Care and Disaster Medicine developed qualification requirements for emergency care physicians of the first and highest qualification category, tests for attestation of emergency care physicians and physicians of other specialties on disaster medicine. Specialists of the department participated in the development of the protocols for adults.
In 2006, Leonid Mironov started to work as dean of the Surgery Faculty, so N.P,Novikova became vice head of the department and, in 2007, she started to work as head of the Department of Emergency Care and Disaster Medicine.
Annually, about 600 trainees undergo advanced training and retraining courses at the department, among which there are emergency care physicians, therapists, cardiologists, intensivists, physicians, working at polyclinics, healthcare leaders. The department also offers training courses on emergency medical care at clinical residency.
Scientific activities of the department include: improvement of the management and structural organization of the disaster medicine services at all republican levels, participation in the development of the automatically controlled system on the liquidation of different types of technogenic disasters, development of the modern technologies to render medical care in emergency conditions, surgical treatment of dysplastic coxarthrosis in adults; low flow anaesthesia; organization of the management of emergency medical care services in emergency situations; clinics, diagnostics and treatment at ischemic heart disease, arterial hypertension and rendering of emergency medical care to patients at prehospital stage.
