Department of Therapy

The Department of Therapy was founded at Belarusian State Institute for Advanced Medical Training in September, 1960. At that time, the department was headed by professor S.S.Nesvizhskaya. From 1969 to 1998, the department was headed professor A.S.Chizh. From 1998 to April, 2016, the department was headed by professor M.S.Pristrom, Honored Scientist of the Republic of Belarus. Since April, 2016 M.V.Shonda has been in charge of the department. 

The department has a huge experience in the training of therapists. Today, the department offers 2 advanced training programs with the duration of 2 weeks (80 hours) and 1 month (160 hours).

The department has worked out a training program on intra-articular introduction of drugs under ultrasound control (video-presentation).

Lectures and practical classes cover the main topics of internal pathology (heart diseases, joint diseases, respiratory and digestive tract diseases, kidney diseases, system collagen-vascular diseases), and also the main issues of endocrine pathology, oncology, infectious diseases, hematology, geriatrics, peculiarities of patients’ management after interventional treatment methods, carrying out of  anti-thrombotic therapy and etc. Thus, therapists and other physicians of therapy specialties can advance their professional level in all fields of internal pathology and separate issues of allied disciplines within one advanced training course.

Traditionally, there are discussions of clinical cases at the department, when the diagnosis is not clear. Discussions on anamnesis data, results of laboratory and instrumental research methods of patient, help to make a diagnostic algorithm, to make the right diagnosis and to create the right strategy of patient’s management in outpatient and inpatient clinics. Specialists of the department also consider the issues of rational pharmacotherapy, the problems of polypragmasy in therapeutic practice. In some cases, ethical and deontological problems are being discussed.

Apart from the highly qualified teaching staff, the department is well-equipped (multimedia and interactive teaching aids), which positively influences on the process of advanced training courses. The clinical base of the Department of Therapy is Healthcare Establishment «2nd City Clinical Hospital». Today, the hospital is a huge multidisciplinary medical organization, equipped with modern treatment and diagnostic devices. It has angiographic equipment, which helps to do heart and vessels examination (coronary, visceral and peripheral angiogram, aortography, ventriculography, cardiac catheterization etc.) and make endovascular operations (balloon angioplasty of coronary and peripheral arteries, stenting, endovascular treatment of chronic artery occlusions with small diameter etc.). There is also roentgen computer equipment, which helps to carry out cardio computer tomography, magnetic resonance tomography.

The staff of the department is actively involved into research work. The department carries out researches on the following topics:

• «To study neurohumoral, metabolic and hemodynamic abnormalities in patients with atherosclerosis, heart and pulmonary heart disease, and also to evaluate influence of some drugs» (initiative topic of scientific and research work),
• «To develop treatment method of patients with arterial hypertension and ischemic heart disease on the basis of differentiated application of adaptation to altitude anoxia»,
• «To develop complex methodology of medical rehabilitation of patients with ischemic heart disease together with arterial hypertension, including usage of adaptation to  hypobaric anoxia»,
• «To develop complex methodology of medical rehabilitation of patients with arterial hypertension applying adaptation to hypo- and normobaric hypoxia».
• At present, specialists of the department work on the research «To develop complex methodology of medical rehabilitation of patients with ischemic heart disease and overweight, together with chronic obstructive lung disease».

The staff of the Department of Therapy carries out advisory work not only at the units of the clinical base, but also at other healthcare establishments of Minsk. Many of them are consultants of Professor’s Advisory Medical Center of BelMAPE.

To advance the professional level of therapists in outpatient and inpatient clinics, in 2013, there had been created a school for therapists (in accordance with the Order of the Health Committee of Minsk City Executive Committee №388/776 of 06/12/2016 «About organization of «School for therapists»; Program «School for therapists» for 2017).