Belarus Health
Doctors operating at a specialized medical institute, Minsk
Courtesy Anatol Klashchuk
Belarus's health care system is in poor shape and fails
to
meet the needs of the population, as is common for the
former
republics of the Soviet Union. The communist era's neglect
of
this sphere, poorly trained staff, and substandard
technology
have resulted in a system in which basic medical services
are
sorely lacking, contributing to the poor health of the
population. The added strains of caring for victims of the
Chornobyl' accident have overwhelmed the system. In 1994
there
were 127 hospital beds and forty-two doctors per 10,000
inhabitants. The country had 131,000 hospital beds at 868
hospitals. The most common causes of death were
cardiovascular
disease, cancer, accidents, and respiratory disease.
The Republic Center on AIDS was created in 1990 to
coordinate
all activities for prevention of the human
immunodeficiency virus
(HIV) and control of acquired immune deficiency syndrome
(AIDS).
There is mandatory HIV testing of all hospital inpatients
and
extensive testing of high-risk populations, such as
homosexuals,
prostitutes, and prisoners. By the end of 1991, seventy
cases of
HIV-positive individuals were identified, forty of whom
were
foreigners. However, because HIV testing kits (as well as
other
medical supplies) had been supplied by Moscow before the
breakup
of the Soviet Union, there was doubt as to whether testing
could
continue at the same level.
Data as of June 1995
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