In Belarus, a series of evidence-based interventions was launched in January 2018 in 2 pilot regions: Minsk and Gorki, Mogilev oblast. Their goal is to improve continuity of care and to optimize patient pathways to better quality of care. In both pilots, health professionals participated in multidisciplinary trainings on person-centred health service delivery, including the prevention and management of key noncommunicable diseases at the primary care level.
To monitor progress in the pilot regions and track changes in service delivery, a field mission was organized on 12–16 March 2018 to Minsk city and Mogilev oblast.
The main finding of the mission reveals positive changes in both pilots, mainly in the form of revised patient pathways and new roles for primary health practitioners. It was shown that doctors’ assistants and nurses have expanded their fields of responsibility, consulting patients independently from doctors and providing motivational counselling for patients with noncommunicable diseases and related risk factors. The nurses and doctors’ assistants interviewed reported that patients have positively accepted their new role, and expressed their motivation for further improvement, so that their consultations can lead to tangible results. General practitioners also have a very positive perception of the implemented changes, as doctors can provide more efficient one-to-one consultations with the patient.
The mission was realized within the framework of the BELMED project, which continues to modernize primary health care delivery in Belarus .It is funded by the European Union and implemented by the Ministry of Health of Belarus in collaboration with WHO, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).”