Medical care

In the Republic of Belarus, you can receive medical care in public medical institutions (on a free and paid basis) or private ones (then you have to pay for medical services).

Patients, including foreign citizens and stateless persons (hereinafter referred to as foreigners), depending on their health condition, medical indications and contraindications, are provided with medical care in the following forms:

• emergency medical care (provided when a patient suddenly develops diseases, conditions and/or exacerbation of chronic diseases that require emergency or urgent medical intervention);
• scheduled medical care (provided if a patient has or is suspected of having diseases that do not require emergency or urgent medical intervention).

Anyone can receive medical care in the following public institutions:

• rural medical outpatient clinics and local hospitals (primary health care);
• central district clinics and hospitals (qualified outpatient, inpatient and specialized medical care);
• interdistrict centers and departments, city hospitals and dispensaries (highly qualified advisory, diagnostic and treatment specialized medical care using widespread diagnostic and treatment technologies);
• regional hospitals, dispensaries, regional specialized hospitals (highly qualified advisory and specialized inpatient medical care in all areas based on high-tech intensive diagnostic and treatment methods);
• republican and interregional specialized centers (highly qualified, high-tech specialized advisory, diagnostic, treatment medical care based on the concentration and intensive use of the latest equipment, technologies and diagnostic and treatment methods).

Medical care can be provided to a patient (including foreigners) in healthcare organizations in:

• outpatient settings - at a clinic (if the patient does not need constant round-the-clock medical supervision);
• inpatient settings - at a hospital (if the patient needs intensive medical care and/or constant round-the-clock medical supervision);
• daycare settings - at a clinic (if the patient needs constant medical supervision and/or medical care during the daytime);
• outside a healthcare organization (a visit (exit) of a medical worker or an ambulance team to the patient's location).

EMERGENCY CASES

In emergency cases, medical services are provided immediately and without referral.

Emergency and urgent care is provided by the ambulance service.

In life-threatening situations, you should call the ambulance service by phone:

• calls from a landline or mobile phone – 103;
• people with hearing or speech difficulties can call the ambulance by SMS:
  • in Minsk, call +375 29 443-67-12,
  • in Brest, call 101 (through the Ministry of Emergency Situations service).

The dispatcher answering the call needs to be provided with the following information:

• the reason for the call;
• the patient's surname, name, patronymic, and age;
• the exact location of the patient (street, house, apartment number, entrance, floor, home phone, entrance door code) and landmarks, the most convenient access to the house;
• the patient's main complaints.

In addition, the caller must identify themselves, answer the questions asked accurately, meet the ambulance team on the street, near the house, and prepare any available medical documents and ID.

In emergency cases, the patient can go to the hospital or the emergency room without a referral.