On October 11, 2024, the annual city conference on the results of the summer health campaign of 2024 was held at the state institution "Children's health camp "Planet" of the Administrative Department of the President of the Republic of Belarus, which has already become traditional, with the participation of the Deputy Chairman of the Minsk City Executive Committee Strigelsky A.V.

The organizers of the conference were the Minsk City Administration of the Republican Center for Health Improvement and Sanatorium-Resort Treatment of the Population, the Education Committee of the Minsk City Executive Committee, the Minsk City Association of Trade Union Organizations, the Department of Humanitarian Activities of the Administrative Department of the President of the Republic of Belarus, and the administration of the Leninsky District of Minsk.

The conference was attended by: Chairman of the Minsk City Council of Deputies Tsuran A.N., heads of committees and departments of the Minsk City Executive Committee, deputy heads of Minsk district administrations, heads of education departments of Minsk district administrations, heads of departments of educational and ideological work, child protection of education departments of Minsk district administrations, heads of enterprise owners, heads of country health camps, representatives of interested institutions and city services.

The conference was opened by Deputy Chairman of the Minsk City Executive Committee Strigelsky A.V. He noted that the health campaign was held at a high organizational level:

— Summer was successful in terms of health improvement. There were no emergency situations. Minsk once again fulfilled all planned tasks, we prepared the material and technical base for the beginning of the season in a timely and high-quality manner.

Also, Andrei Valerievich emphasized that the traditional summing up of the summer health campaign allows us to comprehensively analyze its results and possible problems, determine priority areas and outline specific actions for the next year.

The results of the summer health improvement of the capital's schoolchildren in 2024 and the tasks for 2025 were reported by the head of the Minsk City Administration of the Republican Center for Health Improvement and Sanatorium-Resort Treatment of the Population, Valery Nafranovich.

According to the speaker, this season, using funds from the republican budget to reduce the cost of vouchers, 78,520 children were treated in various types of camps (including 42,881 in camps with round-the-clock stay, 35,639 with day stay), which is 4,040 children more than in 2023.

At the same time, 55% of all children who were recuperated during the season were recuperating in the countryside, which is the best indicator in the republic.

The main focus in providing summer recuperation for children was on 30 round-the-clock health camps owned (managed, operated) by Minsk organizations, the planned capacity of which was 8,451 beds per shift.

During the season, 40,000 children were recuperated at the country camps, including 34,824 children using subsidies, which is almost 2.5 thousand children more than in 2023 (in 2023 - 32,358). In addition, our camps accepted 5,177 children from other regions of the republic or Minsk residents who paid the full cost of the voucher (usually repeated health improvement during the season).

In order to effectively use the existing capacities of country camps, their work in the summer of 2024 was organized in the following modes: 1 camp worked in 6 shifts, 25 camps - in 5 shifts, 3 camps - in 4 shifts, 1 camp - in 3 shifts. The change in legislation last year, which determined the minimum duration of health improvement at 15 days, allowed to increase the frequency of shifts.

Day camps turned out to be no less popular among young Minsk residents. In total, 550 of them were opened at schools, gymnasiums, and institutions of additional education. And more than 35.6 thousand children chose this way of spending time.

Valery Nafranovich also emphasized that the priority direction in organizing children's recreation is still the health improvement of children in difficult life situations, including children with disabilities. In accordance with the decision of the Minsk City Council of Deputies dated 16.11.2016 No. 243 "On the establishment of social support measures for certain categories of citizens", these categories of children are provided with funds from the city budget to reduce the cost of vouchers and to pay up to the full cost of vouchers to country health camps. The measures taken made it possible to improve the health of 1,381 children from among orphans and children under guardianship in camps with day and round-the-clock stay, which amounted to 102.5% of the planned for the season (1,347 children). Vouchers were fully paid for from the city budget.

The practice of improving the health of disabled children was continued, who were sent to camps with day (based on the centers of correctional and developmental education) and round-the-clock stay together with teachers of boarding schools. A total of 1,185 disabled children were improved, which amounted to 100.5% of the planned (1,179 children).

Including 135 children with diabetes and cardiopathology underwent improvement accompanied by one of the parents in a health camp organized on the basis of the Solnyshko sanatorium of JSC Belagrozdravnitsa. Accompaniment of specialized doctors - endocrinologists of the healthcare institution "2nd City Children's Clinical Hospital" was organized for the entire period of improvement of disabled children.

The surcharge up to the full cost of the voucher for children of this category and the payment for the voucher to the accompanying parent was carried out at the expense of the Minsk city budget. Every year, orphans and disabled children with special needs, including those brought up in special school No. 11 for disabled children and orphanage No. 3 of the Moscow district, are recuperated at the health camp "Podorozhnik" of the Housing and Utilities Department of the Minsk City Executive Committee. The program of stay is adapted to this category of children.

Children of employees of budgetary organizations of Minsk received additional payments from the city budget when purchasing vouchers to country camps in the amount of up to 137 rubles per voucher. 2842 children took advantage of this type of assistance.

For the first time, assistance in purchasing vouchers was provided to employees of all budgetary organizations of Minsk, and not only budgetary organizations of municipal property.

In order to prevent crime and asocial behavior of teenagers, during the season, using city budget and state funds, 1,804 minors registered in various types of records and raised in dysfunctional families were sent to health camps with day and round-the-clock stay.

To meet the needs of children in various types of activities and to acquire useful skills, 198 camps (detachments) of labor and recreation with day and round-the-clock stay were organized, in which 2,022 teenagers were recuperated.

A special place in the system of moral and patriotic education of children and teenagers is occupied by their stay in military-patriotic camps.

Together with employees of military units, border outposts, educational institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Emergency Situations, 69 military-patriotic camps with day and round-the-clock stay of children were organized, covering 1,826 children.

Traditionally, in each district of Minsk, defense and patriotic camps with day stays were opened on the bases of pre-conscription training centers for young people.

In total, in the summer of 2024, 29,154 children were sent to 632 camps (detachments) according to profiles and areas of activity with day and round-the-clock stays, of which 6,512 were aged 15-18 years.

To assist in preparing camps with round-the-clock stays for work in the summer of 2024, funds were allocated from consolidated sources in the amount of 12,475.0 thousand rubles, including from the funds of the owners of health camps - 9,737.0 thousand rubles, from the budget of the city of Minsk - 2.5 million rubles, from the republican budget - 122.0 thousand rubles, sponsorship and humanitarian aid - 116 thousand rubles.

The city budget funds for preparation for the summer season are distributed among the district administrations of Minsk in proportion to the bed capacity of their health camps.

Speaking about what needs to be taken into account when preparing a program for children's health improvement for the next year, Valery Nafranovich noted that it is necessary to continue work on modernizing the material and technical base of Minsk camps, improving adjacent territories, using the consolidated funds of camp owners, the city budget, state social insurance, trade unions and other public organizations. District administrations and health camp owners should more actively attract sponsors' funds and foreign gratuitous aid for these purposes. Increase the efficiency of using funds allocated for the preparation of camps.

When organizing labor and recreation camps, together with the Labor and Employment Committee of the Minsk City Executive Committee, work out the issue of increasing the number of jobs provided for these purposes by city organizations and enterprises.

To step up work on civic-patriotic education of youth by organizing specialized military-patriotic camps in each district of the city, including at military bases. Particular attention should be paid to attracting teenagers who are on various types of registration and living in dysfunctional families.

Continue cooperation in organizing these camps with the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

The district administrations of Minsk must not allow unjustified closure, transfer to another owner, re-profiling of camps with round-the-clock stay of children and reduction of the number of places in them without the consent of the Minsk City Executive Committee.

The enterprises-owners, heads of country health camps must ensure compliance with the requirements of the legislation of the Republic of Belarus on the protection of life and health of children in accordance with sanitary, construction rules and regulations, fire safety requirements, safety rules for physical education and sports, rules for the protection of life on the water and other requirements.

The Chairperson of the Education Committee of the Minsk City Executive Committee Marina Ilyina spoke about the work of education authorities and educational institutions in organizing effective health improvement of students.

The Deputy Chief State Sanitary Doctor of the State Institution "Minsk City Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology" Grigory Getyuk reported on problematic issues in organizing and conducting the summer health campaign of 2024 in health camps of Minsk. Igor Kudrevich, Director of the Department for Humanitarian Activities of the Presidential Property Management Department of the Republic of Belarus, spoke about the leading role of the Presidential Property Management Department of the Republic of Belarus in creating conditions for children's health improvement at the State Educational Institution "Children's Health Camp "Planeta".

Summing up the results of the city conference, Deputy Chairman of the Minsk City Executive Committee A.V. Strigelsky gave the following instructions: to analyze the first experience of holding 15-day shifts and compare the quality of rest with 18-day ones, to present prospects for increasing the volume of health improvement next summer and strengthening the material and technical base.

The conference also summarized the results of the city stage of the Republican competition for the best country health camp. The third place was taken by the camp "Smena" of the open joint-stock company "Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant". In second place of honor - "Zubrenok" of the open joint-stock company "Minsk Automobile Plant" - the management company of the holding "BELAVTOMAZ". And the victory went to the health camp "Planet" of the Administrative Department of the President of the Republic of Belarus.

At the end of the conference, the winners of the city competition for the best health camp were awarded. Gratitude, certificates of honor and letters of thanks from the Minsk City Executive Committee, the Minsk City Council of Deputies, the Minsk City Department of the Republican Center for Health Improvement and Sanatorium-Resort Treatment of the Population and other city services and departments were awarded to employees who made a significant contribution to the organization and implementation of the summer health campaign of 2024. 

For many years of conscientious work, high professionalism and great personal contribution to the high-quality organization of health improvement for children in Minsk, the main award of the Minsk City Executive Committee – the Certificate of Honor – was awarded to the head of the department of financing, accounting and reporting of the representative office of the Minsk City Department of the Republican Center for Health Improvement and Sanatorium-Resort Treatment of the Population – Sviatlana Maisinovich.