Media tour organized at Lankaran District Central Hospital

16.05.2024, 14:37

A media tour to the Lankaran district was organized by the State Agency on Mandatory Health Insurance (Agency) and the Administration of Regional Medical Divisions (TABIB). The purpose of the tour was to familiarize media representatives and non-governmental organizations with the implementation of the mandatory health insurance system at Lankaran District Central Hospital (DCH) and to provide patients with insight into the insurance system. The tour included visits to both the Lankaran Regional Perinatal Center and Lankaran DCH.

Aghabala Kalbiyev, Director of Lankaran DCH, informed the participants about the measures taken to implement the mandatory health insurance system and enhance the quality of medical services. Kalbiyev noted that several innovations had been introduced in the health facility following the implementation of mandatory health insurance. “The 360-bed hospital includes departments such as Polyclinic, Radiology, Physiotherapy, Surgery, Urology, Reanimation, Emergency Aid, Therapy, Laboratory, Hemodialysis, and Invasive Cardiology. Additionally, 7 Family Health Centers and over 60 rural doctors/medical centers provide services under the supervision of DCH. The Lankaran Regional Perinatal Center, with 75 beds, was established following extensive reconstruction. It now operates departments including Obstetrics, Pregnancy Pathology, Surgery, and Neonatology, and is equipped with isolettes, phototherapy units, and echocardiogram devices for newborn screening.”

Aynura Ahmadova, Head of the Agency's Marketing and Public Relations Department, stated that the mandatory health insurance system had been in place in the Lankaran district for three years. “Making medical services accessible to everyone is one of the Agency's main goals. The number of insurance-related requests has increased annually. The hospital received over 108,800 applications in 2021 and 191,000 in 2022. Last year, requests rose by 53% compared to 2022, reaching 293,196. Over the past three years, more than 2 million medical services have been provided under mandatory health insurance, including over 1.75 million outpatient services and more than 318,600 inpatient services. During this period, 21,604 surgeries were performed.”

Hikmat Ibrahimli, Head of the Agency's Medical Planning Department, emphasized that improving the quality of medical services was a key objective of mandatory health insurance. “The provision of quality medical care is closely tied to healthcare infrastructure and equipment. The Lankaran DCH is well-equipped with modern technology, which enables the delivery of high-quality services under mandatory health insurance to the southern region's population. New departments in Invasive Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery have been established, and the laboratory department has been reorganized with state-of-the-art equipment. The Invasive Cardiology Department features a surgical room, technical room, 6-bed intensive care unit, and modern diagnostic equipment, including digital angiography apparatus, artificial respiration devices, defibrillators, and echocardiogram devices. The Cardiovascular Surgery Department has 19 wards, 2 operating blocks, and a 6-person resuscitation room, all fully renovated and operational. New MRI and CT devices have also been installed.”

According to Ibrahimli, since the Invasive Cardiology Department began operations, it has handled 1,859 requests, with stents applied to 600 patients. For the first time, the department has implanted intracardiac devices in 3 patients and performed invasive heart rhythm ablation on 2 patients. The Cardiovascular Surgery Department has received 118 patients since its opening, with 10 undergoing valve replacement and 108 undergoing aortic coronary bypass surgery.

The media tour participants also visited patients who had undergone cardiovascular surgery under mandatory health insurance and gathered their feedback. The event concluded with a Q&A session for media and non-governmental organization representatives.