By Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus dated 17.09.1997 No. 1225, on October 1, 1997, the Republican Center for the Rehabilitation and Sanatorium-Resort Treatment of the Population (hereinafter - the Center) was established. The predecessor of the Center was the "Health" fund of the Federation of Belarusian Trade Unions and branch trade union bodies, which was engaged in the organization of health and sanatorium treatment of the population.

The Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus No. 1345 of October 10, 1997 approved the Regulation on the Republican Center for the Rehabilitation and Sanatorium-Resort Treatment of the Population, according to which it is a state institution providing the organization and financing of the rehabilitation and sanatorium-resort treatment of the population of the Republic, and reports to the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus.

         By Order No. 1 dated October 1, 1997, the Brest, Vitebsk, Gomel, Grodno, Minsk, Mogilev regional and Minsk city administrations for the rehabilitation and sanatorium-resort treatment of the population were formed.

In the Republic of Belarus, a system of sanatorium-resort treatment and rehabilitation of the population has been established and is stably functioning. This system includes sanatorium-resort and rehabilitation organizations that provide medical and rehabilitation services to the population with the preferential use of natural healing factors.

The Republic of Belarus has everything necessary for the effective organization of sanatorium-resort treatment and the recovery of the population - a stable climate, sufficient reserves of healing mud and mineral waters, a developed infrastructure of sanatoriums, and internationally recognized experience in the development of spa therapy.

 Currently, the network of sanatorium-resort and recreational organizations of the Republic of Belarus includes 306 facilities with a bed capacity of 66,000 places. Among them: 105 sanatorium-resort organizations with 29,000 places and 201 sanatoriums with 37,000 places.

Belarusian sanatoriums are in demand among the population and foreign citizens. They attract consumers with an assortment and an optimal ratio of price and quality of services, the work of highly qualified medical workers, the constant development of the material and technical base, and the introduction of new methods of spa therapy.

The total number of people undergoing sanatorium-resort treatment and recovery in the Republic of Belarus is about 1 million 300 thousand people every year. About 750,000 citizens are annually provided with free and reduced-price vouchers at the expense of budget funds.